Sample records for high constructive deltaic

Full Text Available A series of methodologies are described in this paper aiming to quantify the natural hazard due to the coastal changes at a deltaic fan. The coastline of Istiaia (North Evia, Greece has been chosen for this study as several areas of accretion and erosion have been identified during the past few decades. We combined different types of datasets, extracted from high resolution panchromatic aerial photographs and traced the contemporary shoreline by high accuracy surveying with Real Time Kinematics (RTK GPS equipment. The interpretation of all shorelines required geo-statistical analysis in a Geographical Information System. A large number of high resolution morphological sections were constructed normally to the coast, revealing erosional and depositional parts of the beach. Retreating and extension rates were calculated for each section reaching the values of 0.98 m/yr and 1.36 m/yr, respectively. The results proved to be very accurate, allowing us to expand the developed methodology by using more complete time-series of remote sensing datasets along with more frequent RTK-GPS surveying.

A basin-scale numerical model with a sub-grid parameterization of fluvio–deltaic processes and stratigraphy was used to study the relation between alluvial sedimentation and marine deltaic deposition under conditions of time-invariant forcing. The experiments show that delta evolution is governed by

Fluvio-deltaic sedimentary systems are of great interest for explorationists because they can form prolific hydrocarbon plays. However, they are also among the most complex and heterogeneous ones encountered in the subsurface, and potential reservoir units are often close to or below seismic resolut

result in the formation of dominant and highly productive mangrove ecosystem in the deltaic regions. Along the Indian Coast, major deltas in Ganges, Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, and Cauvery, are situated along the east coast, and the mangrove forests...

Remote sensing technology has long been used in wetland inventory and monitoring though derived wetland maps were limited in applicability and often unsatisfactory largely due to the relatively coarse spatial resolution of conventional satellite imagery. The advent of high-resolution multispectral satellite systems presents new and exciting capabilities in mapping wetland systems with unprecedented accuracy and spatial detail. This research explores and evaluates the use of high-resolution WorldView-2 (WV2) multispectral imagery in identifying and classifying freshwater deltaic wetland vegetation and aquatic habitats in the Selenga River Delta, a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance that drains into Lake Baikal, Russia - a United Nations World Heritage site. A hybrid approach was designed and applied for WV2 image classification consisting of initial unsupervised classification, training data acquisition and analysis, indicator species analysis, and final supervised classification. A hierarchical scheme was defined and adopted for classifying aquatic habitats and wetland vegetation at genus and community levels at a fine scale, while at a coarser scale representing wetland systems as broad substrate and vegetation classes for regional comparisons under various existing wetland classification systems. Rigorous radiometric correction of WV2 images and orthorectification based on GPS-derived ground control points and an ASTER global digital elevation model resulted in 2- to 3-m positional accuracy. We achieved overall classification accuracy of 86.5% for 22 classes of wetland and aquatic habitats at the finest scale and >91% accuracy for broad vegetation and aquatic classes at more generalized scales. At the finest scale, the addition of four new WV2 spectral bands contributed to a classification accuracy increase of 3.5%. The coastal band of WV2 was found to increase the separation between different open water and aquatic habitats, while yellow, red-edge, and

plain construction rates. Such subaqueous progradation of the delta front is decoupled from shoreline progradation. The delta plain of such tide-dominated deltas consists of a few distributary channels and tidal flats on top of the emerged tidal bars. The delta front clinoforms become gentler and longer, as ebb tidal currents together with river effluent efficiently transport sediment to the basin. Tide-dominated deltas tend to maintain a funnel shape and show low lobe switching rates, compared to fluvial-dominated and tide-influenced deltas. The funnel and thus river mouth position is further stabilized by fine-grained sediment accumulation on marginal tidal flats due to the flood current sediment transport. However, all these effect weaken as the deltas prograde to the shelf edge, due to the loss of vertical (and lateral) restriction and tidal amplification. Here significant tidal reworking tends to be restricted to topographic irregularities, caused by incision, delta-lobe or mouth bar deposition and avulsions, or tectonic processes. The role of such topographic restrictions is twofold, by reducing wave energy and amplifying tidal energy.

Wetlands of the Mississippi River deltaic plain in southeast Louisiana have been hydrologically isolated from the Mississippi River by containment levees for nearly a century. The ensuing lack of fluvial sediment inputs, combined with natural submergence processes, has contributed to high coastal land loss rates. Controlled river diversions have since been constructed to reconnect the marshes of the deltaic plain with the river. This study examines the impact of a pulsed diversion management plan on sediment discharge into the Breton Sound estuary, in which duplicate 185 m3 s-1-diversions lasting two weeks each were conducted in the spring of 2002 and 2003. Sediment delivery during each pulse was highly variable (11,300-43,800 metric tons), and was greatest during rising limbs of Mississippi River flood events. Overland flow, a necessary transport mechanism for river sediments to reach the subsiding backmarsh regions, was induced only when diversion discharge exceeded 100 m3 s-1. These results indicate that timing and magnitude of diversion events are both important factors governing marsh sediment deposition in the receiving basins of river diversions. Though the diversion serves as the primary source of river sediments to the estuary, the inputs observed here were several orders of magnitude less than historical sediment discharge through crevasses and uncontrolled diversions in the region, and are insufficient to offset present rates of relative sea level rise. ?? 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The typically single-threaded channels on wave-influenced deltas show striking differences in their orientations, with some channels oriented into the incoming waves (e.g., Ombrone, Krishna), and others oriented away from the waves (e.g., Godavari, Sao Francisco). Understanding the controls on channel orientation is important as the channel location greatly influences deltaic morphology and sedimentology, both subaerially and subaqueously. Here, we explore channel orientation and consequent feedbacks with local shoreline dynamics using a plan-form numerical model of delta evolution. The model treats fluvial sediment delivery to a wave-dominated coast in two ways: 1) channels are assumed to prograde in a direction perpendicular to the local shoreline orientation and 2) a controlled fraction of littoral sediment transport can bypass the river mouth. Model results suggest that channels migrate downdrift when there is a significant net littoral transport and alongshore transport bypassing of the river mouth is limited. In contrast, river channels tend to orient themselves into the waves when fluvial sediment flux is relatively large, causing the shoreline of the downdrift delta flank to attain the orientation of maximum potential sediment transport for the incoming wave climate. Using model results, we develop a framework to estimate channel orientations for wave-influenced deltas that shows good agreement with natural examples. An increase in fluvial sediment input can cause a channel to reorient itself into incoming waves, behavior observed, for example, in the Ombrone delta in Italy. Our results can inform paleoclimate studies by linking channel orientation to fluvial sediment flux and wave energy. In particular, our approach provides a means to quantify past wave directions, which are notoriously difficult to constrain.

This paper deals with the hydrological properties of deltaic sediments. A detailed study was made of the geological history of part of the delta plain of the Rhine and Meuse. Such hydrological properties as thickness of aquifers and semi-permeable layers, transmissibility of the aquifers were determ

This paper deals with the hydrological properties of deltaic sediments. A detailed study was made of the geological history of part of the delta plain of the Rhine and Meuse. Such hydrological properties as thickness of aquifers and semi-permeable layers, transmissibility of the aquifers were

Detailed facies analyses of closely spaced measured surface sections in the Trinidad and adjacent areas of Colorado reflect deposition in the river-influenced delta. That this deltaic system was accompanied by abandonment of subdeltas is indicated by a destructional-deltaic facies of heavily bioturbated, carbonaceous sandstones, siltstones, and shales best recorded in the delta front deposits of the Trinidad Sandstone. Coal accumulation of the Vermejo deposits nevertheless remained primarily controlled by persistent organic sedimentation in interdistributary backswamps. These backswamps, which accumulated thick, lenticular coals, were formed during the normal constructional phase of the delta plain. -from Authors

While overall, deltas account for only 1% of global land area, they are home to more than a half billion people or ca. 7% of the world's population. In many deltas, livelihoods and food security are strongly dependent on ecosystem services, which in turn are affected by various environmental change factors, including climate variability and change, modifications to upstream river, sediment and nutrient fluxes, evolving nearshore ecosystems, and delta-level change factors such as subsidence, changing land use and management interventions such as polders. Key limits include scarcity of fresh water, saline water intrusion and the impacts of extreme events (e.g. river floods, cyclones and storm surges), which constrain land use choices and livelihood opportunities for the deltaic populations. The ESPA Deltas project takes a systemic perspective of the interaction between the coupled bio-physical environment and the livelihoods of rural delta residents. The methods emphasise poverty reduction and use coastal Bangladesh as an example. This includes a set of consistent biophysical analyses of the delta and the upstream catchments and the downstream Bay of Bengal, as well as governance and policy analysis and socio-demographic analysis, including an innovative household survey on ecosystem utilization. These results are encapsulated in an integrated model that analyses ecosystem services and livelihood implications. This integrated approach is designed to support delta-level policy formulation. It allows the exploration of contrasting development trajectories, including issues such as robustness of different governance options on ecosystem services and livelihoods. The method is strongly participatory including an ongoing series of stakeholder workshops addressing issue identification, scenario development and consideration of policy responses. The methods presented are generic and transferable to other deltas. The paper will consider the overall ESPA Deltas project and

Deltas are among the most productive and economically important of global ecosystems but unfortunately they are also among the most threatened by human activities. Here we discuss deltas and human impact, several approaches to defining deltaic sustainability and present a ranking of sustainability. Delta sustainability must be considered within the context of global biophysical and socioeconomic constraints that include thermodynamic limitations, scale and embeddedness, and constraints at the level of the biosphere/geosphere. The development, functioning, and sustainability of deltas are the result of external and internal inputs of energy and materials, such as sediments and nutrients, that include delta lobe development, channel switching, crevasse formation, river floods, storms and associated waves and storm surges, and tides and other ocean currents. Modern deltas developed over the past several thousand years with relatively stable global mean sea level, predictable material inputs from drainage basins and the sea, and as extremely open systems. Human activity has changed these conditions to make deltas less sustainable, in that they are unable to persist through time structurally or functionally. Deltaic sustainability can be considered from geomorphic, ecological, and economic perspectives, with functional processes at these three levels being highly interactive. Changes in this functioning can lead to either enhanced or diminished sustainability, but most changes have been detrimental. There is a growing understanding that the trajectories of global environmental change and cost of energy will make achieving delta sustainability more challenging and limit options for management. Several delta types are identified in terms of sustainability including those in arid regions, those with high and low energy-intensive management systems, deltas below sea level, tropical deltas, and Arctic deltas. Representative deltas are ranked on a sustainability range

A high resolution stratigraphic study applied to reservoir characterization, based on well logs, cuts and cores from the Furado Field, a mature oil field of the Alagoas Sub-basin, was carried out on deltaic strata of the lower portion of the Barra de Itiuba Formation (early rifting of the Sergipe-Alagoas Basin). Three lacustrine systems tracts were recognized within a 3rd order sequence: the low stand systems tract (tectonic pulse initiation) that includes extensive, medium- to coarse-grained fluvial-deltaic sandstones that display good reservoir quality; the transgressive systems tract (tectonic climax), which comprises lacustrine and pro delta shale and distal delta front, fine- to very fine-grained sandstone; and the high stand system tract (tectonic quiescence) that encompasses several cycles of delta front progradation and related poor quality reservoirs relative to those of the low stand system tract. The 4th order sequences are represented by climate-driven transgressive-regressive cycles that constitute independent reservoirs, equivalent to a reservoir zones. This high resolution stratigraphic framework was then used on the building of the 3D geologic model, which honored the systems tracts geometry, and related facies, as well as the paleostructure, including a syn-depositional fault propagation anticline. Several normal faults split the reservoirs at different scales. Their potential impact on reservoir fragmentation was approached through the use of fault juxtaposition and shale gouge ratio diagrams. (author)

This report contains presentations presented at a technical symposium on oil production. Chapter 1 contains summaries of the presentations given at the Department of Energy (DOE)-sponsored symposium and key points of the discussions that followed. Chapter 2 characterizes the light oil resource from fluvial-dominated deltaic reservoirs in the Tertiary Oil Recovery Information System (TORIS). An analysis of enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and advanced secondary recovery (ASR) potential for fluvial-dominated deltaic reservoirs based on recovery performance and economic modeling as well as the potential resource loss due to well abandonments is presented. Chapter 3 provides a summary of the general reservoir characteristics and properties within deltaic deposits. It is not exhaustive treatise, rather it is intended to provide some basic information about geologic, reservoir, and production characteristics of deltaic reservoirs, and the resulting recovery problems.

@@ On 25 January, the National Development and Reform Commission gave the green light to a proposal to constructhigh magnetic field facilities for experimental use. The suggestion was jointly submitted by the Ministry of Education and CAS.

A year-long study of four river deltas, using color infrared photography at three-month intervals, showed clearly the impact of damming the lower river or channelizing its outlet on the wetland environment. An important result of the season's photography was the dramatic appearance of the detrital material being flushed out of the deltaic wetlands by flood waters, and moved down into the lower estuaries for use by the marine organisms in the lower tropical levels. The species makeup and relative vigor of the deltaic plant communities were well recognizable on the imagery, as was the flushing mechanism in one still viable delta marsh.

There are large deltaic systems in the Triassic Yanchang Formation in the northern Shaanxi area of the Ordos Basin, and developed two sets of good source-reservoir-caprock assemblages and many sets of oil-beating beds. Exploration experience demonstrates that the formation and distribution of the reservoir were controlled by the generative depression of the Yanchang Formation, and deltaic reservoir sand body is the material basis for large-scale oilfields. In addition, secondary laumontite in a low permeable area was dissolved and then a high permeable area was formed. The updip lithologic variety of reservoir sand bodies is favorable to the formation of subtle lithologic traps, and the deltaic reservoirs are characterized by large multi-beds of oil-generation and abundant hydrocarbon resources. In this paper, the petroleum geologic settings of the studied area are analyzed, and the accumulation characteristics and exploration methods of lithologic reservoirs are summarized. It is of theoretical significance for the study of the exploration theories of lithologic reservoirs, and also expedites the exploration steps of deltaic reservoirs in the northern Shaanxi area.

We examine the stratigraphic architecture and mineralogy of the western fan deposit in the Jezero crater paleolake on Mars to reassess whether this fan formed as a delta in a standing body of water, as opposed to by alluvial or debris flow processes. Analysis of topography and images reveals that the stratigraphically lowest layers within the fan have shallow dips (<2°), consistent with deltaic bottomsets, whereas overlying strata exhibit steeper dips (∼2-9°) and downlap, consistent with delta foresets. Strong clay mineral signatures (Fe/Mg-smectite) are identified in the inferred bottomsets, as would be expected in the distal fine-grained facies of a delta. We conclude that the Jezero crater western fan deposit is deltaic in origin based on the exposed stratal geometries and mineralogy, and we emphasize the importance of examining the stratigraphic architecture of sedimentary fan deposits on Mars to confidently distinguish between alluvial fans and deltas. Our results indicate that Jezero crater contains exceptionally well-preserved fluvio-deltaic stratigraphy, including strata interpreted as fine-grained deltaic bottomsets that would have had a high potential to concentrate and preserve organic matter. Future exploration of this site is both geologically and astrobiologically compelling, and in situ analyses would be complementary to the ongoing in situ characterization of fluvio-lacustrine sediment in the Gale crater paleolake basin by the Curiosity rover.

In deltaic areas with saline seepage, freshwater availability is often limited to shallow rainwater lenses lying on top of saline groundwater. Here we describe the characteristics and spatial variability of such lenses in areas with saline seepage and the mechanisms that control their occurrence and

In deltaic areas with saline seepage, fresh water availability is often limited to shallow rainwater lenses lying on top of saline groundwater. Here we describe the characteristics and spatial variability of such lenses in areas with saline seepage and the mechanisms that control their occurrence an

Deltas are low-lying coastal areas that form where rivers flow into the ocean. Hosting dense populations, featuring rich biodiversity and being hot spots of both agricultural and industrial production, they are considered of great economic and ecological importance. Long-term sustainability of deltas is increasingly under threat due to the consequences of natural and man-made hazards, including large-scale human interventions such as dam construction and extraction of underground resources. Understanding prevailing vulnerabilities in these deltaic systems is becoming increasingly important for the development of spatially-targeted adaptation options at the sub-delta scale (coastal regions, floodplains etc.) which is imperative for the sustainability and in some cases even for the survival of deltaic social-ecological systems (SES). We developed an inclusive SES-centered framework for vulnerability assessments, allowing for different sets of vulnerability indicators to be identified which can then be combined for deltas globally in a modular way. The modular structure allows being responsive to the specific multi-hazard settings of a given delta SES while also considering the interactions between the hazards in one given location. It therefore represents a departure from the usual fixed set of indicators used in existing vulnerability assessments. We present (1) the methods applied for indicator development, including local stakeholder consultations and a systematic literature review, as well as (2) the resulting modular set of indicators to be used in future spatially explicit vulnerability assessments. The approach aims to provide a ʾblueprintʿ for delta vulnerability assessments worldwide. Due to its modular structure it fosters both transferability and reproducibility. This work is part of a global project on 'Catalyzing action towards sustainability of deltaic systems (DELTAS)' funded by the Belmont Forum and the 2015 Sustainable Deltas Initiative, endorsed

Clinoforms are ubiquitous deltaic, shallow-marine and continental-margin depositional morphologies, occurring over a range of spatial scales (1-104 m in height). Up to four types of progressively larger-scale clinoforms may prograde synchronously along shoreline-to-abyssal plain transects, albeit at very different rates. Paired subaerial and subaqueous delta clinoforms (or 'delta-scale compound clinoforms'), in particular, constitute a hitherto overlooked depositional model for ancient shallow-marine sandbodies. The topset-to-foreset rollovers of subaqueous deltas are developed at up to 60 m water depths, such that ancient delta-scale clinoforms should not be assumed to record the position of ancient shorelines, even if they are sandstone-rich. This study analyses a large dataset of modern and ancient delta-scale, shelf-prism- and continental-margin-scale clinoforms, in order to characterise diagnostic features of different clinoform systems, and particularly of delta-scale subaqueous clinoforms. Such diagnostic criteria allow different clinoform types and their dominant grain-size characteristics to be interpreted in seismic reflection and/or sedimentological data, and prove that all clinoforms are subject to similar physical laws. The examined dataset demonstrates that progressively larger scale clinoforms are deposited in increasingly deeper waters, over progressively larger time spans. Consequently, depositional flux, sedimentation and progradation rates of continental-margin clinoforms are up to 4-6 orders of magnitude lower than those of deltas. For all clinoform types, due to strong statistical correlations between these parameters, it is now possible to calculate clinoform paleobathymetries once clinoform heights, age spans or progradation rates have been constrained. Muddy and sandy delta-scale subaqueous clinoforms show many different features, but all share four characteristics. (1) They are formed during relative sea-level stillstands (e.g., Late

The Rio Del Rey Basin of offshore Cameroon comprises the easternmost portion of the Niger delta complex. In the delta flank setting, the overall package is thinner and stratigraphic correlation simpler than in the depocenter to the west so the distribution of reservoirs and seals is well defined. Productive reservoirs are shallow, typically less than 2000 m, and mostly hydropressured to slightly overpressured. Reservoir properties generally are excellent and seismic bright-spot technology has played a major role in exploration and development efforts. Rio Del Rey is characterized by three main structural styles from north to south: (1) detachment-based growth faults, (2) highly faulted, mobile shale cored domes and ridges, and (3) toe thrusts and folds. Virtually all individual traps are fault dependent and lack of sufficient internal seals in sand-rich wave-dominated deltaic sequences can limit the objective window. Most fields are downthrown fault traps in which hanging-wall reservoirs are effectively sealed against older prodelta and marine shales. All large oil fields are located in the dome and ridge province and are potential analogs for similar structures now being explored on the upper slope off Nigeria. The best quality source rocks identified thus far are Paleocene to Eocene marine shales. Oil vs. gas distribution in the basin is a function of variations in the kerogen type, organic richness, and maturity of these source rocks. A significant quantity of the gas found to date in Rio Del Rey is biogenic in origin. The Cameroon charge model may aid in better understanding hydrocarbon distribution on offshore Nigeria, where the Miocene deltaic section is much thicker and potential Paleocene-Eocene source rocks likely are unpenetrated. The shallow deltaic play in Cameroon is relatively mature. Future exploration likely will focus on identifying deeper, nonbright-spot-supported opportunities including potential stratigraphic traps.

Paleoclimate proxy records from marine pelagic sediments show that a link exists between long-period orbital cyclicity and the pattern of high latitude glaciations. Thus, a sound possibility exist that transgressive-regressive third-order sequences from shallow marine environments reflect long-period orbital (glacioeustatic) forcing, as suggested from a variety of shallow marine settings of different ages, from Mesozoic to Paleogene. In this study we aim at testing the role of the 400 kyr eccentricity cycle in the sequential organization of the Late Eocene deltaic sequences of the Belsue-Atares Formation, in the Jaca-Pamplona Basin. The overall record spans from latest Lutetian to early Priabonian and consists of nearly 1000 meters of siliciclastic deltaic to mixed platform sequences of various scales. Very notorious lateral changes in both stratigraphic thickness and sedimentary facies witness the synkinematic character of these sediments, deposited simultaneously to intrabasinal fold growth. A magnetostratigraphy based chronostratigraphic framework is used, first, to determine the age and duration of the sequences and, second, to establish a robust correlation with other deltaic sequences within the south-pyrenean foreland. The long-distance correlation exercise is used to discriminate between local (tectonic) and global (climatic) forcing factors, under the assumption that climate signature is synchronous, while tectonic forcing is prone to yield diachronic units at basin scale. Astronomical tuning with the 400-kyr cycle of the eccentricity solution of the Earth orbit is attempted on the basis of derived magnetostratigraphic age constrains. Our results suggest that transgressive (regressive) trends correlate with maxima (minima) of eccentricity cycle, a phase-relationship which is compatible with a base-level (accommodation) driven forcing.

In this paper we give a new construction of highly nonlinear vectorial Boolean functions. This construction is based on coding theory, more precisely we use concatenation to construct Boolean functions from codes over $\\mathbb{F}_q$ containing a first-order generalized Reed–Muller code. As it turns...... out this construction has a very compact description in terms of Boolean functions, which is of independent interest. The construction allows one to design functions with better nonlinearities than known before....

The most commonly used method of delta classification is to interpret formation processes from observation of the resulting geomorphic features, and to place the delta on a ternary diagram based on the relative dominance of the associated wave, tidal, or fluvial influences. This system has worked well and has been in use for more than 40 years - but it suffers from the subjectivity inherent to visual interpretation techniques. We aim to establish an alternative classification method that is both objective and reliable for the classification of deltaic systems. At the corner stone of our current approach, we use the statistic of lacunarity to quantitatively describe the variability of deltaic footprints across a wide range of spatial scales. Lacunarity has been used for more than 20 years to identify and characterize stratigraphic patterns, and is currently in use in such diverse fields as urban planning and medicine to characterize spatial distribution of properties. Here, we apply lacunarity to satellite images of modern deltas in order to quantitatively describe the distribution of land and water at scales ranging from the data resolution to that of the entire system. The results of our lacunarity analyses provide the basis for a new, objective, system of delta classification.

Full Text Available In the westernmost region of the rapidly widening Corinth rift, Greece, extensive development of roads, bridges and other human infrastructure has caused continuous environmental change over the past twenty years. River networks, the land surface and the coastal environment, have been altered, especially in the areas corresponding to deltaic fans. In this paper we use earth observation systems that have captured these environmental changes, particularly medium (Landsat TM and ETM+ and high (Quickbird resolution satellite images, to identify environmental changes between the periods 1992, 2000, 2002, and 2005. Six pseudo-color multi-temporal images in different spectral areas were created in order to detect changes to the terrestrial and coastal environment caused mainly by direct or indirect human impact. This methodology provided new data for quantifying significant alterations in the environment on different scales. In many cases this revealed their sequence during the time of observation.

River deltas are defined by a balance of net aggradational processes that construct the delta platform, and marine processes and human modifications that redistribute sediments and facilitate platform evolution. The lower Ganges-Brahmaputra delta plain in southwest Bangladesh is isolated from fluvial processes but receives up to 1 cm of sediment accretion annually as sediments discharged at the river mouth are reworked by tides and re-deposited onto the lower delta plain via a dendritic network of tidal channels. Sediment flux and dispersal from tidal channels onto the landscape is one of the principal processes that determines the lower delta plain response to environmental changes, including sea level rise. We investigate the processes and conditions that define the relationship between tides, sea level, and sediment accretion in human-modified and pristine areas of the coastal delta plain. In the pristine deltaic environment, tidal fluctuations and sea level rise in the tidal channel are capable of maintaining a dynamic equilibrium with the subsiding and compacting landscape via sediment dispersal and accretion. Human modification of the landscape by embankment construction in 1961 has locally inhibited sediment delivery to the landscape, decoupling these interacting systems. The sediment-starved landscape has continued to subside and compact, but in the absence of sediment accretion, the elevation of the interior landscape has become offset relative to the tidally inundated river bank terraces, and the land surface is situated 1.0-2.0 m below mean high water. In 2009, a cyclonic storm surge breached embankments, causing catastrophic flooding, re-establishment of tidal sediment delivery, and rapid sedimentation on the human-modified landscape. The pristine environment adjacent to the embanked landscape exhibits no signs of catastrophic inundation, likely because the continuous sediment delivery allowed the landscape to remain in dynamic equilibrium with mean

Nowhere are the problems of coastal wetland loss more serious and dramatic than in the Mississippi River deltaic plain region of south-central Louisiana. In that area, rates of shoreline erosion of 20 m.yr and loss of land area of up to 75 km/yr result from a complex combination of natural (delta switching, subsidence, sea-level rise, storms) and human (flood control, navigation, oil and gas development, land reclamation) factors. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), as part of the National Coastal Geology Program, has undertaken joint filed investigations with Federal, State, and university partners. The objective of these long-term studies is to gather and interpret baseline information in order to improve our scientific understanding of the critical processes and responses responsible for creation, maintenance, and deterioration of coastal wetlands.

Middle and Upper Devonian deposits from the Aouinet Ouenine Formation in the southern Ghadames Basin of western Libya provide a well exposed example of a deltaic complex containing both progradational and transgressive facies. Progradational facies comprise both laterally accreting and incised distributary channels overlying prodelta deposits. Also present is a progradational beach environment showing build-up from an offshore shelf through nearshore shelf to shoreface and foreshore sub-environments. Over-lying these progradational facies are transgressive tidal-flat, washover-fan, foreshore and nearshore deposits. The characteristics and interrelationships of the different facies are explained by two sedimentation models: progradational facies existed contemporaneously during phases of active sediment supply whereas the transgressive facies existed contemporaneously during periods of diminished or absent detrital influx.

Lake Bogoria is a meromictic, saline (90 g/l TDS), alkaline (pH: 10.3) lake with Na-CO[sub 3]-Cl waters, located in a narrow half-graben in the central Kenya Rift. It is fed by hot springs, direct precipitation, and a series of ephemeral streams that discharge into the lake via small deltas and fan-deltas. Examination of the exposed deltas and >50 short cores from the lake floor, have revealed a wide range of deltaic and prodeltaic sediments, including turbidites and subaqueous debris-flow deposits. Studies of 3 long cores and the exposed delta stratigraphy have shown how the style of deltaic sedimentation has responded to environmental changes during the last 30,000 years. During humid periods when lake level is high the lake waters are fresher and less dense. Theoretically, high sediment yield and more constant discharge may promote underflow (hyperpycnal flow), generating low-density turbidity currents. In contrast, during low stages with dense brine, the less dense, inflowing waters carry fine sediment plumes toward the center of the lake where they settle from suspension (hypopycnal flow). Although applicable as a general model, the sediment record shows that reality is more complex. Variations in meromixis and level of the chemocline, together with local and temporal differences in sediment yield and discharge, may permit density flows even when the lake is under a predominant hypopycnal regime. During periods of aridity when sodium carbonate evaporites were forming, exposed delta plains were subject to desiccation with local development of calcrete and zeolitic paleosols.

Given the controversial state of cyclostratigraphy and the important contributions it provides to the construction of the geologic time scale it is important to know what processes encode environmental changes and what data sets best preserve the integrity of the stratigraphic signal. We test cyclostratigraphy based on rock magnetic data to calibrate time at sub-magnetic chron scales to reconstruct a ~100 kilometer-long transect of an ancient fluvial-deltaic system. Rock magnetic data provides an objective record of multi-frequency cyclicity we interpret to be climate cycles preserved in the Tertiary Ainsa-Jaca-Pamplona Basins. Anhysteretic Remanent Magnetization (ARM) from rocks dominated with low coercivity magnetite and Fe-sulfides and Isothermal Remanent Magnetization (IRM) from rocks dominated by high coercivity hematite and goethite shows the potential to trace correlative beds from terrestrial watersheds to the deep marine basin across facies boundaries. The fluvial Escanilla Fm.-Campodarbe Gp. along the Eripol-Olson section varies from sheet sandstones and overbank siltstone to amalgamated gravels up-section, is 910 m long, records chrons C19r to C15n, and was deposited at a rate of 14cm/kyr. A modified S-ratio, which takes advantage of the differences in coercivities of goethite and hematite was used to assess relative mineral abundance and shows variations in the ratio of goethite : goethite + hematite concentrations around the frequencies expected for short eccentricity (~100 kyr) and obliquity (~40 kyr). A 5 T field saturation IRM (SIRM) was first applied followed by alternating field (af) demagnetization in a 100 mT field (=goethite + hematite concentration), followed by the application of a 1 T backfield and 100 mT af demagnetization (= goethite concentration only). The correlative deltaic Arguis Fm. section coarsens up section from a condensed middle-outer neritic glauconite sandstone and marl sequence to proximal prodeltaic shales and siltstones, to

The optimization approach based on the biological evolution principle is used to construct the heat transport paths for volume-to-point problem. The transport paths are constructed by inserting high conductivity materials in the heat conduction domain where uniform or nonuniform heat sources exist. In the bionic optimization process, the optimal constructs of the high conductivity material are obtained by numerically simulating the evolution and degeneration process according to the uniformity principle of the temperature gradient. Finally, preserving the features of the optimal constructs, the constructs are regularized for the convenience of engineering manufacture. The results show that the construct obtained by bionic optimization is approximate to that obtained by the tree-network constructal theory when the heat conduction is enhanced for the domain with a uniform heat source and high conductivity ratio of the inserting material to the substrate, the high conductivity materials are mainly concentrated on the heat outlet for the case with a uniform heat source and low thermal conductivity ratio, and for the case with nonuniform heat sources, the high conductivity material is concentrated in the heat source regions and construacts several highly effective heat transport paths to connect the regions to the outlet.

After eight months of continuous observations, the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mapped the entire sky at 3.4 micron, 4.6 micron, 12 micron, and 22 micron. We have begun a dedicated WISE High Resolution Galaxy Atlas project to fully characterize large, nearby galaxies and produce a legacy image atlas and source catalog. Here we summarize the deconvolution techniques used to significantly improve the spatial resolution of WISE imaging, specifically designed to study the internal anatomy of nearby galaxies. As a case study, we present results for the galaxy NGC 1566, comparing the WISE enhanced-resolution image processing to that of Spitzer, Galaxy Evolution Explorer, and ground-based imaging. This is the first paper in a two-part series; results for a larger sample of nearby galaxies are presented in the second paper.

Full Text Available The wave asymmetric Sf. Gheorghe lobe is the only active in the Danube delta where river mouth bar (and the associated barrier islands and spits continuously deployed a cyclic development for almost two millennia. During first stage, the Sf. Gheorghe distributary had a small discharge (with an order of magnitude lower than present which after that experienced a rapid increase in consequence of the successive avulsions of Împuţita (southern distributary of Sulina arm and Dunavăţ distributaries. Our morphological analyses together with the newly obtained chronology, revealed the multiple ridgesets structure of Sf. Gheorghe deltaic lobe. In fact, all ridgesets (10 follow a common morphodynamic pattern characterized by the cyclic succession of three stages: i subaqueous mouth bar development, ii barrier island emergence, iii barrier spit phase with several secondary spits derived from an updrift trunk ridge. The size of each ridgeset increased exponentially with every new cycle due to the constant lengthening of the coastline as the downdrift side of the lobe advances seaward through a series of progressively larger similar quadrilaterals, yielding to a constant enlargment of the delta front size.

It is undisputed that land subsidence threatens coastal-deltaic lowlands all over the world. Any loss of elevation (on top of sea level rise) increases flood risk in these lowlands, and differential subsidence may cause damage to infrastructure and constructions. Many of these settings embed substantial amounts of peat, which is, due to its mechanically weak organic composition, one of the main drivers of subsidence. Peat is very susceptible to volume reduction by loading and drainage induced consolidation, which dissipates pore water, resulting in a tighter packing of the organic components. Often, the current state of consolidation of peat embedded within coastal-deltaic subsidence hotspots (e.g. Venice lagoon, Mississippi delta, San Joaquin delta, Kalimantan peatlands), is somewhere between its initial (natural) and maximum compressed stage. Quantifying the current state regarding peat volume loss, is of utmost importance to predict potential (near) future subsidence when draining or loading an area. The processes of subsidence often afflict large areas (>103 km2), thus demanding large datasets to assess the current state of the subsurface. In contrast to data describing the vertical motions of the actual surface (geodesy, satellite imagery), subsurface information applicable for subsidence analysis are often lacking in subsiding deltas. This calls for new initiatives to bridge that gap. Here we introduce Cone Penetration Testing (CPT) to quantify the amount of volume loss peat layers embedded within the Holland coastal plain (the Netherlands) experienced. CPT measures soil mechanical strength, and hundreds of thousands of CPTs are conducted each year on all continents. We analyzed 28 coupled CPT-borehole observations, and found strong empirical relations between volume loss and increased peat mechanical strength. The peat lost between ~20 - 95% of its initial thickness by dissipation of excess pore water. An increase in 0.1 - 0.4 MPa of peat strength is

Construction simulation for high rockfill dam (CSHRD) is the technology that takes advantage of computer simulation to observe and analyze a complex construction process,which is useful for construction design and management.In this paper,the domestic and oversea research status of CSHRD is reviewed firstly,along with introduction of their present achievementa and deficiencies,and the CSHRD theory is also described.Then,considering the influence of many stochastic factors,integrated simulation for high rockfill dam construction (HRDC) is presented with technologies of cycle operation network (CYCLONE) and computer simulation.it rationally combines two subsystems in HRDC,namely haulage and placement of rockfill subsystem,which reflects the actual construction objectively.important parameters,such as the haulage intensity and traffic density,are obtained,and the process of CSHRD is represented intuitively in dynamic visualization.All of these help engineers to make rapid decisions in HRDC scientifically.

Full Text Available In deltaic areas with saline seepage, freshwater availability is often limited to shallow rainwater lenses lying on top of saline groundwater. Here we describe the characteristics and spatial variability of such lenses in areas with saline seepage and the mechanisms that control their occurrence and size. Our findings are based on different types of field measurements and detailed numerical groundwater models applied in the south-western delta of the Netherlands. By combining the applied techniques we could extrapolate measurements at point scale (groundwater sampling, temperature and electrical soil conductivity (TEC-probe measurements, electrical cone penetration tests (ECPT to field scale (continuous vertical electrical soundings (CVES, electromagnetic survey with EM31, and even to regional scale using helicopter-borne electromagnetic measurements (HEM. The measurements show a gradual mixing zone between infiltrating fresh rainwater and upward flowing saline groundwater. The mixing zone is best characterized by the depth of the centre of the mixing zone Dmix, where the salinity is half that of seepage water, and the bottom of the mixing zone Bmix, with a salinity equal to that of the seepage water (Cl-conc. 10 to 16 g l−1. Dmix is found at very shallow depth in the confining top layer, on average at 1.7 m below ground level (b.g.l., while Bmix lies about 2.5 m b.g.l. The model results show that the constantly alternating upward and downward flow at low velocities in the confining layer is the main mechanism of mixing between rainwater and saline seepage and determines the position and extent of the mixing zone (Dmix and Bmix. Recharge, seepage flux, and drainage depth are the controlling factors.

Saline groundwater exfiltration to surface water increases surface water salinization and degrades the water quality in low-lying deltaic areas. As the use of surface water is less appropriate for agricultural, industrial and drinking water production due to salinization, freshwater diverted from a river is often utilised for flushing canals and ditches in these areas. Current water management strategies for flushing control in low-lying deltaic areas have to be revised to mitigate expected negative effects of climate change, sea level increase and decreasing fresh water availability. Model predictive control (MPC) is a powerful control method that is increasingly used for managing water systems. The explicit consideration of constraints and multi-objective management are important features of MPC. In this study, an MPC scheme is developed and tested for combined salinity and water level control of a ditch/water course. Saline groundwater exfiltration fluxes and salinities are modelled by applying the Rapid Saline Groundwater Exfiltration Model (RSGEM) and used as known disturbances for the MPC scheme. The developed control scheme is applied to a test canal using real data from a Dutch polder (Polders are low lying and artificially drained areas surrounded by dikes, with a controlled surface water level below M.S.L) which is affected by high saline groundwater exfiltration. This test demonstrates the performance of the controller for a real scenario. Simulation results show that MPC can increase the operational efficiency of flushing operations.

At the beginning of 21st century, with the rapid and steady development of China economy, a lot of large scale hydropower projects with large dams from 200 m to 300 m high are being or to be buih. China dam constructions are reaching the level of 300 m high arch dam, 250 high CFRD (concrete face rockfill dam) and 200 m high RCC (roller compacted concrete) gravity dam. Due to the safety and the economy, the type selection for high dams has become the key issue during the argumentation for the hydropower projects, and further efforts are still needed in this aspect for high dams. After reviewing the high dam constructions in China and abroad, authors proposed some advices for the selection of dam types, and hope that it can provide some helpful information for the researches and the design of high dams.

This study presents the characterization of the external geometry of deltaic oil reservoirs, including the description of their areal distribution using geo statistic tools, such as variography and kriging. A high-resolution stratigraphic study was developed over a 25 km{sup 2} area, by using data from 276 closely-spaced wells of an oil-producer field from the Reconcavo Basin, northeastern Brazil. The studied succession records the progressive lacustrine transgression of a deltaic environment. Core data and stratigraphic cross sections suggest that the oil reservoirs are mostly amalgamated, delta-front lobes, and subordinately, crevasse deposits. Some important geometrical elements were recognized by the detailed variographic analysis developed for each stratigraphic unit (zone). The average width for the groups of deltaic lobes of one zone was measured from the variographic feature informally named as hole effect. This procedure was not possible for the other zones due to the intense lateral amalgamation of sandstones, indicated by many variographic nested structures. Net sand krigged maps for the main zones suggest a NNW-SSE orientation for the deltaic lobes, as also their common amalgamation and compensation arrangements. High-resolution stratigraphic analyses should include a more regional characterization of the depositional system that comprises the studied succession. On the other hand, geostatistical studies should be developed only after the recognition of the depositional processes acting in the study area and the geological meaning of the variable to be treated, including its spatial variability scales as a function of sand body thickness, orientation and amalgamation. (author)

Nutrient biogeochemistry associated with the early stages of soil development in deltaic floodplains has not been well defined. Such a model should follow classic patterns of soil nutrient pools described for alluvial ecosystems that are dominated by mineral matter high in phosphorus and low in carbon and nitrogen. Shifts in the nutrient dynamics and stoichiometry of these newly emerged ecosystems should reflect complex feedback mechanisms during classic delta cycle. These ecogeomorphic processes of soil development are modified in most coastal regions by the anthropogenically enriched high-nitrate conditions due to agricultural fertilization in upstream watersheds. We will use the emerging Wax Lake delta (WLD) chronosequence as conceptual models of nutrient dynamics and stoichiometry of deltaic floodplain ecosystems. Throughout the 35-year chronosequence, soil nitrogen and organic matter content significantly increased by an order of magnitude, while phosphorus remained relatively constant, shifting the N:P ratio from nitrogen limitation (soils switched from net denitrification to net nitrogen fixation (-74.5 μmol N m-2 h-1). As soils in the WLD aged, the subsequent increase in organic matter stimulated net N2, oxygen, nitrate, and nitrite fluxes producing greater fluxes in more mature soils. These newly emerged landscapes are also potential sites of nitrate reduction along continental margins, protecting coastal waters from enriched watershed runoff of nitrate. However, recent evidence suggests wetlands are actually susceptible to nutrient enrichment additions due to ';biomass allocation strategies' that reduce soil strength and geomorphic development of coastal landscapes. Mineral rich delta floodplains do not show any of these vulnerabilities (during growth phase) compared to organic rich soils of deltaic coast (during maintenance phase). However, nitrate reduction efficiencies depend on soil organic matter accumulation and residence time of surface water flow

A self-developed elasto-plastic finite element program was used to analyze the construction sequence of high rock slope' s stabilization in a coal-coking plant, and the result was compared with that employing the ultimate equilibrium method. Based on the results of finite element analysis, the stress contour graphs and dis-placement vector graphs at different construction steps were obtained, and the behavior of the slope during stabi-lization construction process was analyzed quantitatively. Based on the analysis of safety factors of three different schemes of stabilization and two different construction schemes, the assessment of stability and bracing design of the construction process were performed. The results show that the original reinforcement design is improper;the stability of the rock slope is controlled by a developed structural plane, the stability factor after excavation is less than 1, and the free surface should be braced in time ; for stability, the construction sequence should adopt that bracing follows excavation step by step up to down; the local slide occurred during the construction process agrees with the dangerous slide determined by the numerical analysis, which proves the validity and rationality of the adopted method.

In the context that global grain security is still in very severe situation,the grain security situation in China is not optimistic as well. The " Red Line of Farmland Area" cannot completely solve the grain security problems in China. We still need to seek new breakthroughs in the quality and yield of farmland. The construction of high standard capital farmland is the important premise to guarantee national grain security. On this basis,this paper has summarized the difficulties we are facing in the construction of high standard capital farmland,and has proposed the methods and measures to constructhigh standard capital farmland and lay a solid foundation for grain security in China.

Full Text Available In deltaic areas with saline seepage, fresh water availability is often limited to shallow rainwater lenses lying on top of saline groundwater. Here we describe the characteristics and spatial variability of such lenses in areas with saline seepage and the mechanisms that control their occurrence and size. Our findings are based on different types of field measurements and detailed numerical groundwater models applied in the south-western delta of The Netherlands. By combining the applied techniques we could extrapolate in situ measurements at point scale (groundwater sampling, TEC (temperature and electrical soil conductivity-probe measurements, electrical cone penetration tests (ECPT to a field scale (continuous vertical electrical soundings (CVES, electromagnetic survey with EM31, and even to a regional scale using helicopter-borne electromagnetic measurements (HEM. The measurements show a gradual S-shaped mixing zone between infiltrating fresh rainwater and upward flowing saline groundwater. The mixing zone is best characterized by the depth of the centre of the mixing zone Dmix, where the salinity is half that of seepage water, and the bottom of the mixing zone Bmix, with a salinity equal to that of the seepage water (Cl-conc. 10 to 16 g l−1. Dmix manifests at very shallow depth in the confining top layer, on average at 1.7 m below ground level (b.g.l., while Bmix lies about 2.5 m b.g.l. Head-driven forced convection is the main mechanism of rainwater lens formation in the saline seepage areas rather than free convection due to density differences. Our model results show that the sequence of alternating vertical flow directions in the confining layer caused by head gradients determines the position of the mixing zone (Dmix and Bmix and that these flow directions are controlled by seepage flux, recharge and drainage depth.

Substantial natural contamination from trace elements (like arsenic) and pathogens make Ganges Deltaic aquifers an area of utmost concern. Following millions of cases of chronic arsenic poisoning from the groundwaters of the region, numerous residents are still knowingly ingesting water from shallow to intermediate accessible depth drinking water wells. Added to the calamity of arsenic is the prevalence of pathogenic bacteria in these waters. The increasing frequency of gastroenteritis signifies the need to quantify the magnitude and extensiveness of health degrading agents--bacterial pathogens (i.e. Salmonella) and non-pathogens (i.e. Enterobacteriaceae) --within the water supply in accessible Gangetic aquifers. To assess the dissolved microbiological quality in the region, present study sampling locations are along defined piezometer nests in an area in SE Asia (Bangladesh). Every nest contains samples from wells at varying depths covering shallow to deep aquifers. To date, 17 of the 76 water samples were analyzed for Salmonella, generic Escherichia coli (E. coli) and coliforms. Briefly, samples were plated in duplicate onto E. coli/Coliform petrifilm and incubated at 370C for 48 hours. Next, each sample was enriched in buffered peptone water and incubated at 370C for 18 hours. Bacterial DNA was extracted and amplified using a qPCR machine. Amplification plots were analyzed to determine presence/absence of microorganisms. All water samples (n=~76) are analyzed for Salmonella, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria spp. and Shigella. Pathogen populations of PCR-positive water samples are enumerated using the agar direct plate method. Non-pathogenic bacterial indicator organisms (i.e. Enterobacteriaceae) will also be enumerated. Over the course of the experiment, we hypothesize that shallower wells will 1)have a higher pathogen prevalence and 2)harbor pathogens and nonpathogens at higher concentrations. While the 17 samples analyzed to date were negative for Salmonella

Full Text Available The Bahía Blanca estuary (Argentina has a morphological configuration resulting from hydrological and sedimentary processes related to Late Quaternary sea level changes. This estuarine system occupies a large coastal plain with a dense net of tidal channels, low-altitude islands and large intertidal flats. Little is known about the sedimentary units of the marine subbottom. Therefore, a stratigraphical analysis of the northern coast of Bahía Blanca estuary was carried out using high resolution seismic (3.5 kHz in order to: i define Quaternary sequences, ii describe sedimentary structures, and iii determine the paleoenvironmental conditions of sedimentation. The seismic stratigraphic data collected and their correlation with drilling lithological data show five seismic sequences (S1, S2, S3, S4 and S5, of which S1-S2 were found to be associated with a continental paleoenvironment of Miocene-Pleistocene age. Sequences S3 and S4, whose lithology and seismic facies (paleochannel structures and prograding reflection configurations, were defined on these materials, to evidence the development of an ancient deltaic environment which was part of a large Pleistocene drainage system. The S5 sequence was formed during the Holocene transgressive-regressive process and complete the seismostratigraphic column defined in the present study.

Three stages of complex technological monitoring for the increase of high-temperature-permafrost soil bearing capacity are described. The feasibility of process monitoring to improve the targeted strength properties of subgrade bases on frozen soils is demonstrated. The rationale for the necessity of predictive modeling of freeze-thaw actions during the subgrade construction period is provided.

Carlet et al. recently introduced generalized nonlinearity to measure the ability to resist the improved correlation attack of a vector output Boolean function. This article presents a construction of vector output Boolean functions with high generalized nonlinearity using the sample space. The relation between the resilient order and generalized nonlinearity is also discussed.

Working memory and the general factor of intelligence (g) are highly related constructs. However, we still don't know why. Some models support the central role of simple short-term storage, whereas others appeal to executive functions like the control of attention. Nevertheless, the available empirical evidence does not suffice to get an answer,…

With taxpayers' considerable investment in schools, it is critical for school districts to preserve their community's assets with new construction or renovation and effective facility maintenance programs. "High-performance" school buildings are designed to link the physical environment to positive student achievement while providing such benefits…

Avulsion is a principal process in the formation of fluvial-deltaic successions and a primary control on deltaic architecture. It determines the distribution of sediment and water and hence influences which location in the delta receives clastic sedimentation in what amounts for what time. It also d

The concept of paraunitary two-scale similarity transform (PTST) is introduced. We discuss the property of PTST, and prove that PTST preserves the orthogonal, approximation order and smoothness of the given orthogonal multiscaling functions. What is more, by applying PTST, we present an algorithm of constructinghigh order balanced multiscaling functions by balancing the already existing orthogonal nonbalanced multi- scaling functions. The corresponding transform matrix is given explicitly. In addition, we also investigate the symmetry of the balanced multiscaling functions. Finally, construction examples are given.

The world's coastal deltaic wetlands are threatened by relative sea level rise. Protecting these ecosystems requires understanding deltaic growth and few studies have focused on how vegetation influences this growth. Here we explore the ecogeomorphic evolution of Wax Lake Delta (WLD) using a remote sensing database consisting of 1083 Landsat 5 and 7 images (30 m resolution) from 1983 to 2012 and 23 high-resolution images (1.5 m resolution) from 2001 to 2012. We calculate each Landsat image to the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), which indicates the relative above ground vegetation biomass. We also use the high-resolution images and spectral signatures from Landsat images to classify land cover into vegetation, sediment, and water. Only imagery from peak biomass season, August and September for this subtropical ecosystem, was analyzed to control for the effects of interannual variability in growing season and growth rates on the estimates of vegetated areas. Additional analyses of extreme events and fluctuating water levels is needed to correctly estimate land area and areal vegetation coverage. Our results show from 1984 to ~1995 WLD experiences a period of emergence where total delta area and the vegetated percent (at peak biomass) increases rapidly. After 1995, the vegetated percent of WLD levels off, but fluctuates from 70% to 90%. During winter months this value drops to ~10%. Accordingly, the bare sediment percent decreases as one minus the vegetated percent. At individual island scale vegetated percent at peak biomass levels off at different times and values. Proximal (or older) islands level off as soon as 1995, fluctuating from 80% to nearly 100% vegetated, while distal (or younger) islands do so at 2000 ranging from 20% to 80%. It is unclear why this difference occurs, but we conjecture it is caused by the lower elevation of the distal islands or their aggrading slower than proximal ones as the incoming sediment volume spreads over a larger

One of the key elements in real estate management is streamlining the construction process. Thus,the facilities can be built on a faster, cheaper, and higher quality base. Consequently, it will enhance the owner's competitiveness. Due to the high cost and lengthy duration of mega-construction projects in recent years,Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) contracts are getting popular in delivering constructed projects in the public sector. With BOT, the public owners are able to focus on the effectiveness of fair resource allocation as well as bring the efficiency of private enterprise into governmental operations.This paper uses Taiwan High Speed Rail project to exemplify the BOT method in executing the constructed projects in the chain of real estate management processes. The paper explains the reasons for building HSR and adopting BOT approach.The detail of the HSR project and the feasibility analysis of the project will be presented in this paper. The feasibility analysis comprises the comparisons of different transportation means, the financial analysis, and other benefits from HSR. Finally, conclusions will be drawn.

Full Text Available This paper describes the construction and selection of a high-producing mutant, Bacillus subtilis HB-32, with enhanced acetoin yield and productivity. The mutant was obtained by the protoplast fusion of a Bacillus subtilis mutant TH-49 (Val− producing acetoin and Bacillus licheniformis AD-30 producing α-acetolactate decarboxylase, with the fusogen polyethylene glycol and after the regeneration and selection, etc. of the fusant. The acetoin production reached 49.64 g/L, which is an increase of 61.8% compared to that of B. subtilis strain TH-49. Random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis was performed to determine the mutagenic and protoplast fusion effects and the genomic changes in the acetoin high-producing strain compared to the parent strains at the molecular level. The constructed strain was shown to be promising for large-scale acetoin production. Future studies should focus on the application of the mutant strain in practice.

We present a scheme for effciently constructinghigh-dimensional cluster state using probabilistic entangling quantum gates. It is shown that the required computational overhead scales effciently both with 1/P and n even if all the entangling quantum gates only succeed with an arbitrary small probability, where p is the success probability of the entangling quantum gate and n is the number of qubits in the computation.

River deltas are shaped by the interaction between flow and sediment transport. This morphodynamic interaction is potentially affected by freshwater marsh vegetation (e.g. Sagittaria spp.and Typha spp. in the Mississippi delta, USA) on the exposed surfaces of emergent deltaic islands. The vulnerability of deltaic islands is a result of external forces like large storms, sea level rise, and trapping of sediment in upstream reservoirs. These factors can strongly determine the evolution of the deltaic system by influencing the coupling between vegetation dynamics and morphology. In the last few years, models have been developed to describe the dynamics of salt marsh geomorphology coupled with vegetation growth while the effect of freshwater vegetation on deltaic islands and marshes remains unexplored. Here we use a numerical flow and sediment transport model to determine how vegetation affects the spatial distribution of sediment transport and deposition on deltaic surfaces during flood. Our modeling results show that, for an intermediate value of relative vegetation height and density, sedimentation rate increases at the head of the delta. On the other hand, large values of relative vegetation height and density promote more sedimentation at the delta shoreline. A logical extension of our results is that over time intermediate values of relative vegetation height and density will create a steeper-sloped delta due to sediment trapping at the delta head, whereas relatively taller vegetation will create a larger, but flatter delta due to sediment deposition at the shoreline. This suggests intermediate relative vegetation height and density may create more resilient deltas with higher average elevations.

Deltas are globally important locations of diverse ecosystems, human settlement, and economic activity that are threatened by reductions in sediment delivery, accelerated sea level rise, and subsidence. Here we investigated the relative contribution of river flooding, hurricanes, and cold fronts on elevation change in the prograding Wax Lake Delta (WLD). Sediment surface elevation was measured across 87 plots, eight times from February 2008 to August 2011. The high peak discharge river floods in 2008 and 2011 resulted in the greatest mean net elevation gain of 5.4 to 4.9 cm over each flood season, respectively. The highest deltaic wetland sediment retention (13.5% of total sediment discharge) occurred during the 2008 river flood despite lower total and peak discharge compared to 2011. Hurricanes Gustav and Ike resulted in a total net elevation gain of 1.2 cm, but the long-term contribution of hurricane derived sediments to deltaic wetlands was estimated to be just 22% of the long-term contribution of large river floods. Winter cold front passage resulted in a net loss in elevation that is equal to the elevation gain from lower discharge river floods and was consistent across years. This amount of annual loss in elevation from cold fronts could effectively negate the long-term land building capacity within the delta without the added elevation gain from both high and low discharge river floods. The current lack of inclusion of cold front elevation loss in most predictive numerical models likely overestimates the land building capacity in areas that experience similar forcings to WLD.

Arctic deltas are dynamic and vulnerable regions that play a key role in land-ocean interactions and the global carbon cycle. Delta lakes may provide valuable historical records of the quality and quantity of fluvial fluxes, parameters that are challenging to investigate in these remote regions. Here we study lakes from across the Mackenzie Delta, Arctic Canada, that receive fluvial sediments from the Mackenzie River when spring flood water levels rise above natural levees. We compare downcore lake sediments with suspended sediments collected during the spring flood, using bulk (% organic carbon, % total nitrogen, 13C, 14C) and molecular organic geochemistry (lignin, leaf waxes). High-resolution age models (137Cs, 210Pb) of downcore lake sediment records (n=11) along with lamina counting on high-resolution radiographs show sediment deposition frequencies ranging between annually to every 15 years. Down-core geochemical variability in a representative delta lake sediment core is consistent with historical variability in spring flood hydrology (variability in peak discharge, ice jamming, peak water levels). Comparison with earlier published Mackenzie River depth profiles shows that (i) lake sediments reflect the riverine surface suspended load, and (ii) hydrodynamic sorting patterns related to spring flood characteristics are reflected in the lake sediments. Bulk and molecular geochemistry of suspended particulate matter from the spring flood peak and lake sediments are relatively similar showing a mixture of modern higher-plant derived material, older terrestrial permafrost material, and old rock-derived material. This suggests that deltaic lake sedimentary records hold great promise as recorders of past (century-scale) riverine fluxes and may prove instrumental in shedding light on past behaviour of arctic rivers, as well as how they respond to a changing climate.

Full Text Available Arctic deltas are dynamic and vulnerable regions that play a key role in land-ocean interactions and the global carbon cycle. Delta lakes may provide valuable historical records of the quality and quantity of fluvial fluxes, parameters that are challenging to investigate in these remote regions. Here we study lakes from across the Mackenzie Delta, Arctic Canada, that receive fluvial sediments from the Mackenzie River when spring flood water levels rise above natural levees. We compare downcore lake sediments with suspended sediments collected during the spring flood, using bulk (% organic carbon, % total nitrogen, 13C, 14C and molecular organic geochemistry (lignin, leaf waxes. High-resolution age models (137Cs, 210Pb of downcore lake sediment records (n=11 along with lamina counting on high-resolution radiographs show sediment deposition frequencies ranging between annually to every 15 years. Down-core geochemical variability in a representative delta lake sediment core is consistent with historical variability in spring flood hydrology (variability in peak discharge, ice jamming, peak water levels. Comparison with earlier published Mackenzie River depth profiles shows that (i lake sediments reflect the riverine surface suspended load, and (ii hydrodynamic sorting patterns related to spring flood characteristics are reflected in the lake sediments. Bulk and molecular geochemistry of suspended particulate matter from the spring flood peak and lake sediments are relatively similar showing a mixture of modern higher-plant derived material, older terrestrial permafrost material, and old rock-derived material. This suggests that deltaic lake sedimentary records hold great promise as recorders of past (century-scale riverine fluxes and may prove instrumental in shedding light on past behaviour of arctic rivers, as well as how they respond to a changing climate.

Different types of corrosion resistant stainless steels, Ni-based alloys as well as titanium and tantalum were evaluated as a possible metallic bipolar plate and construction material with respect to corrosion resistance under simulated conditions corresponding to the conditions in high temperature...... and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Results show that stainless steels are the most inclined to corrosion under high anodic polarization. Among alloys, Ni-based showed the highest corrosion resistance under conditions, simulating HTPEMWE. In particular, Inconel625 is the most promising alloy...

With the method of structure analysis, this work analyzes the real data of the high-temperature weather of China in 2003 and those in history, and finds out that the structure character of the hightemperature weather process corresponds to the distribution of urban buildings. The result shows that excessive dense buildings could influence the atmosphere structure, which leads to the urban temperature increasing sharply. On the other hand, the structure analysis also reveals some problems on urban construction, and the corresponding countermeasure is an efficient method for high-temperature weather forecast.

Full Text Available The demand of high-rise projects continues to grow due to the reducing of usable land area in Klang Valley, Malaysia. The rapidly development of high-rise projects has leaded to the rise of fatalities and accidents. An accident that happened in a construction site can cause serious physical injury. The accidents such as people falling from height and struck by falling object were the most frequent accidents happened in Malaysian construction industry. The continuous growth of high-rise buildings indicates that there is a need of an effective safety and health management. Hence, this research aims to identify the causes of accidents and the ways to prevent accidents that occur at high-rise building construction site. Qualitative method was employed in this research. Interview surveying with safety officers who are involved in highrise building project in Kuala Lumpur were conducted in this research. Accidents were caused by man-made factors, environment factors or machinery factors. The accidents prevention methods were provide sufficient Personal Protective Equipment (PPE, have a good housekeeping, execute safety inspection, provide safety training and execute accidents investigation. In the meanwhile, interviewees have suggested the new prevention methods that were develop a proper site layout planning and de-merit and merit system among sub-contractors, suppliers and even employees regarding safety at workplace matters. This research helps in explaining the causes of accidents and identifying area where prevention action should be implemented, so that workers and top management will increase awareness in preventing site accidents.

Wetland and riparian zone hydrology exerts critical controls on the biogeochemical cycling of metal contaminants including arsenic. The role of wetlands in driving geogenic arsenic release to groundwater has been debated in the deltas of South and Southeast Asia where the largest impacted human population resides. In addition, groundwater in coastal areas worldwide, such as those in South and Southeast Asia and the Mid-Atlantic of the U.S., is at risk to largely unexplored biogeochemical and hydrologic impacts of projected sea level rise. First, we present data from fresh-sediment incubations, in situ model sediment incubations and a controlled field experiment with manipulated wetland hydrology and organic carbon inputs in the minimally disturbed upper Mekong Delta. Here we show that arsenic release is limited to near-surface sediments of permanently saturated wetlands where both organic carbon and arsenic-bearing solids are sufficiently reactive for microbial oxidation of organic carbon and reduction of arsenic-bearing iron oxides. In contrast, within the deeper aquifer or seasonally saturated sediments, reductive dissolution of iron oxides is observed only when either more reactive exogenous forms of iron oxides or organic carbon are added, revealing a potential thermodynamic restriction to microbial metabolism. Second, in order to assess the potential impacts of sea level rise on arsenic release to groundwater, we determined the changes in arsenic speciation and partitioning in sediment collected from an anthropogenically contaminated coastal riparian zone under controlled Eh regimes in both seawater and freshwater systems. Here we show greater arsenic release under anoxic/suboxic conditions in the freshwater system than in the seawater system, potentially due to high salinity induced microbial inhibition. Collectively, our work shows that shifting hydrologic conditions in deltaic wetlands and tidally influenced zones impacts the extent of arsenic release to

proton exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolysers (HTPEMWE). All samples were exposed to anodic polarisation in 85% phosphoric acid electrolyte solution. Platinum and gold plates were tested for the valid comparison. Steady-state voltammetry was used in combination with scanning electron microscopy......Different types of corrosion resistant stainless steels, Ni-based alloys as well as titanium and tantalum were evaluated as a possible metallic bipolar plate and construction material with respect to corrosion resistance under simulated conditions corresponding to the conditions in high temperature...

As whole house energy efficiency increases, new houses become less like conventional houses that were built in the past. New materials and new systems require greater coordination and communication between industry stakeholders. The Guideline for Construction Documents for High Performance Housing provides advice to address this need. The reader will be presented with four changes that are recommended to achieve improvements in energy efficiency, durability and health in Building America houses: create coordination drawings, improve specifications, improve detail drawings, and review drawings and prepare a Quality Control Plan.

The objective of this project is to develop a comprehensive, interdisciplinary, and quantitative characterization of a fluvial-deltaic reservoir which will allow realistic inter-well and reservoir-scale modeling to be constructed for improved oil-field development in similar reservoirs world-wide. The geological and petrophysical properties of the Cretaceous Ferron Sandstone in east-central Utah will be quantitatively determined. Both new and existing data will be integrated into a three-dimensional representation of spatial variations in porosity, storativity, and tensorial rock permeability at a scale appropriate for inter-well to regional-scale reservoir simulation. Results could improve reservoir management through proper infill and extension drilling strategies, reduction of economic risks, increased recovery from existing oil fields, and more reliable reserve calculations. Two activities continued this quarter as part of the geological and petrophysical characterization of the fluvial-deltaic Ferron Sandstone: (1) evaluation of the Ivie Creek and Willow Springs Wash case-study areas and (2) technology transfer.

Different types of commercially available stainless steels, Ni-based alloys as well as titanium and tantalum were evaluated as possible metallic bipolar plates and construction materials. The corrosion resistance was measured under simulated conditions corresponding to the conditions in high...... to corrosion under strong anodic polarisation. Among alloys, Ni-based showed the highest corrosion resistance in the simulated PEM electrolyser medium. In particular, Inconel 625 was the most promising among the tested corrosion-resistant alloys for the anodic compartment in high temperature steam electrolysis....... Tantalum showed outstanding resistance to corrosion in selected media. On the contrary, passivation of titanium was weak, and the highest rate of corrosion among all tested materials was observed for titanium at 120 degrees C....

The current situations and growing prospects of China's hydro-power development and high dam construction are reviewed,giving emphasis to key issues for safety evaluation of large dams and hydro-power plants,especially those associated with application of state-of-the-art computational mechanics.These include but are not limited to:stress and stability analysis of dam foundations under external loads;earthquake behavior of dam-foundation-reservoir systems,mechanical properties of mass concrete for dams,high velocity flow and energy dissipation for high dams,scientific and technical problems of hydro-power plants and underground structures,and newly developed types of dam-Roll Compacted Concrete (RCC) dams and Concrete Face Rock-fill (CFR)dams.Some examples demonstrating successful utilizations of computational mechanics in high dam engineering are given,including seismic nonlinear analysis for arch dam foundations,nonlinear fracture analysis of arch dams under reservoir loads,and failure analysis of arch dam-foundations.To make more use of the computational mechanics in high dam engineering,it is pointed out that much research including different computational methods,numerical models and solution schemes,and verifications through experimental tests and filed measurements is necessary in the future.

This report demonstrates the effectiveness of the CO2 miscible process in Fluvial Dominated Deltaic reservoirs. It also evaluated the use of horizontal CO2 injection wells to improve the overall sweep efficiency. A database of FDD reservoirs for the gulf coast region was developed by LSU, using a screening model developed by Texaco Research Center in Houston. The results of the information gained in this project is disseminated throughout the oil industry via a series of SPE papers and industry open forums.

We incorporate innovations from the project into the Java language to provide high-level features for Web service programming. The resulting language, JWIG, contains an advanced session model and a flexible mechanism for dynamic construction of XML documents, in particular XHTML. To support program...... development we provide a suite of program analyses that at compile time verify for a given program that no runtime errors can occur while building documents or receiving form input, and that all documents being shown are valid according to the document type definition for XHTML 1.0.We compare JWIG...... with Servlets and JSP which are widely used Web service development platforms. Our implementation and evaluation of JWIG indicate that the language extensions can simplify the program structure and that the analyses are sufficiently fast and precise to be practically useful....

We report on the design and construction of a high-energy photon polarimeter for measuring the degree of polarization of a linearly-polarized photon beam. The photon polarimeter uses the process of pair production on an atomic electron (triplet production). The azimuthal distribution of scattered atomic electrons following triplet production yields information regarding the degree of linear polarization of the incident photon beam. The polarimeter, operated in conjunction with a pair spectrometer, uses a silicon strip detector to measure the recoil electron distribution resulting from triplet photoproduction in a beryllium target foil. The analyzing power ΣA for the device using a 75 μm beryllium converter foil is about 0.2, with a relative systematic uncertainty in ΣA of 1.5%.

Harbor Deepening Project, Jacksonville, FL Palm Valley Bridge Project, Jacksonville, FL Rotary Club of San Juan, San Juan, PR Tren Urbano Subway...David. What is nanotechnology? What are its implications for construction?, Foresight/CRISP Workshop on Nanotechnology, Royal Society of Arts

The literature on dysregulated sexuality, whether theoretical, clinical or empirical, has failed to differentiate the construct from high sexual desire. In this study, we tested three hypotheses which addressed this issue. A sample of 6458 men and 7938 women, some of whom had sought treatment for sexual compulsivity, addiction or impulsivity, completed an online survey comprised of various sexuality measures. Men and women who reported having sought treatment scored significantly higher on measures of dysregulated sexuality and sexual desire. For men, women, and those who had sought treatment, dysregulated sexuality was associated with increased sexual desire. Confirmatory factor analysis supported a one-factor model, indicating that, in both male and female participants, dysregulated sexuality and sexual desire variables loaded onto a single underlying factor. The results of this study suggest that dysregulated sexuality, as currently conceptualized, labelled, and measured, may simply be a marker of high sexual desire and the distress associated with managing a high degree of sexual thoughts, feelings, and needs.

Construction of a data-driven model of evolution operator using universal approximating functions can only be statistically justified when the dimension of its phase space is small enough, especially in the case of short time series. At the same time in many applications real-measured data is high-dimensional, e.g. it is space-distributed and multivariate in climate science. Therefore it is necessary to use efficient dimensionality reduction methods which are also able to capture key dynamical properties of the system from observed data. To address this problem we present a Bayesian approach to an evolution operator construction which incorporates two key reduction steps. First, the data is decomposed into a set of certain empirical modes, such as standard empirical orthogonal functions or recently suggested nonlinear dynamical modes (NDMs) [1], and the reduced space of corresponding principal components (PCs) is obtained. Then, the model of evolution operator for PCs is constructed which maps a number of states in the past to the current state. The second step is to reduce this time-extended space in the past using appropriate decomposition methods. Such a reduction allows us to capture only the most significant spatio-temporal couplings. The functional form of the evolution operator includes separately linear, nonlinear (based on artificial neural networks) and stochastic terms. Explicit separation of the linear term from the nonlinear one allows us to more easily interpret degree of nonlinearity as well as to deal better with smooth PCs which can naturally occur in the decompositions like NDM, as they provide a time scale separation. Results of application of the proposed method to climate data are demonstrated and discussed. The study is supported by Government of Russian Federation (agreement #14.Z50.31.0033 with the Institute of Applied Physics of RAS). 1. Mukhin, D., Gavrilov, A., Feigin, A., Loskutov, E., & Kurths, J. (2015). Principal nonlinear dynamical

The Frio Fluvial-Deltaic Sandstone Play of South Texas is one example of a mature play where reservoirs are being abandoned at high rates, potentially leaving behind significant unrecovered resources in untapped and incompletely drained reservoirs. Nearly 1 billion barrels of oil have been produced from Frio reservoirs since the 1940`s, yet more than 1.6 BSTB of unrecovered mobile oil is estimated to remain in the play. Frio reservoirs of the South Texas Gulf Coast are being studied to better characterize interwell stratigraphic heterogeneity in fluvial-deltaic depositional systems and determine controls on locations and volumes of unrecovered oil. Engineering data from fields throughout the play trend were evaluated to characterize variability exhibited by these heterogeneous reservoirs and were used as the basis for resource calculations to demonstrate a large additional oil potential remaining within the play. Study areas within two separate fields have been selected in which to apply advanced reservoir characterization techniques. Stratigraphic log correlations, reservoir mapping, core analyses, and evaluation of production data from each field study area have been used to characterize reservoir variability present within a single field. Differences in sandstone depositional styles and production behavior were assessed to identify zones with significant stratigraphic heterogeneity and a high potential for containing unproduced oil. Detailed studies of selected reservoir zones within these two fields are currently in progress.

The Ordos Basin, located in central China, is a large-scale residual Mesozoic intracratonic down-warped basin. It is the second largest and the most productive oil-gas-bearing basin in China. The Upper Triassic Yanchang Formation is characterized by fluvial-lacustrine facies. It can be subdivided into 10 stratigraphic sublayers (Ch1-Ch10 from top to bottom), and the Ch81 interval is an important oil-gas reservoir in this basin. For a long time, sandstones in this interval are interpreted to be deposited in a shallow water braided delta sedimentary system in the southwest of the basin. During deposition of this interval, the water is quite shallow, and there are no sediment gravity flow deposits. In this research, based mainly on core observation and description, as well as well logging and seismic data, we proposed that sediment gravity flow deposits are well-developed in the study area in the southwestern Ordos Basin. Four lithofacies assemblages have been recognized: (i) thick-bedded sandstone with abundant lamination structures as channelized sandy deposits in braided delta; (ii) thick-bedded chaotically contorted sandstone as sandy slump; (iii) thick-bedded structureless sandstone with floating mudstone clasts as sandy debrite, or with spaced planar lamination as high-density turbidite; (iv) thin-bedded ripple cross-laminated sandstone as low-density turbidite. On the basis of core evidence of a sedimentary cross-section along flow direction with six cored wells, the most possible trigger of sediment gravity flow is delta-front collapsing. Through downslope transportation, one type of gravity flow can transform to another type. Deltaic channelized sandstones are dominant in the proximal area. Sandy slumps are dominant in the middle area, which is formed by collapsing of deltaic deposits and transform to high density turbidite and sandy debrite in the distal area. Few low-density turbidite is shown. With additional geochemical evidence, it can be confidently

The aim was to measure the incidence of high altitude headache (HAH) and to determine clinical features,as well as the relation between acute mountain sickness (AMS) and HAH through a prospective study.We conducted a questionnaire-based study among construction workers in Yushu after a serious earthquake； they were under reconstruction using a structured questionnaire incorporating International Headache Society (IHS) and AMS Lake Louise Scoring System.A total of 608 workers were enrolled after their first ascent to altitudes of 3 750～4528 m.The results showed that 96 ％ reported at least 1 HAH(median 3.8,range from 1 to 10) in workers at a mean altitude of 4250 m.The magnitude of headache was divided as mild (38 ％),moderate (44 ％) and severe (18 ％).This study indicates that HAH is the most common symptom of acute altitude exposure and closely correlated with altitude (r=0.165,p＜0.001).However,52 ％ of headache was one of the main symptoms of AMS,while the other 48 ％ was the sole symptom of HAH.On the contrary we found that 2 ％ of AMS without headache,thus the "painless AMS" actually existed.The clinical features of HAH are presented,and the relationship between AMS and HAH is discussed.

This paper discussed an analysis and simulation of exploration data obtained from an oil sands lease located near Fort McMurray in Alberta. Over 231 delineation wells were drilled in order to delineate the oil sands resource base. The lease covered 116,500 acres of land and were located next to a high-performing oil sands project. The reservoir extended approximately 28 km in length and 5 km in width. The reservoir's lateral continuity and distinct reservoir facies distinguished it from the channel sand reservoirs located in the region. Results from the simulation were used to evaluate the potential of steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) for recovering the reservoir's deposits. The simulation used a geo-statistical approach that incorporated a stochastic methodology to allow for the generation of multiple geological realizations. Results from the geological program showed that the reservoir is suitable for thermal in situ recovery, and exhibited a high degree of bitumen saturation. The homogenous nature of the reservoir meant that only a small number of geo-bodies with unique characteristics were identified. It was concluded that results from the simulation are consistent with results obtained for highly successful SAGD projects in the area. 4 refs., 2 tabs., 5 figs.

In this article, I examine how black students construct their racial and achievement self-concepts in a predominantly white high school to enact a black achiever identity. By listening to these students talk about the importance of race and achievement to their lives, I came to understand how racialized the task of achieving was for them even…

Full Text Available This article is based on long-term research of aquatic landscapes in the VolgaRiver delta which was held in 2010–2012 and included investigation and sampling of bottom sediments in deltaic lagoons, fresh-water bays, small channels, oxbow lakes, and part of the deltaic near-shore zone. Contrasting hydrological regime and suspended matter deposition together with huge amount of water plants in the river delta provide for the formation of different types of subaquatic soils. The purpose of this research is to reveal the properties of the subaquatic soils in the Volga River deltaic area and to propose pedogenetic approaches to the diagnostic of aquazems as soil types. It is suggested to name the horizons in aquazems in the same way as in terrestrial soils in the recent Russian soil classification system, and apply symbols starting with the combination of caps – AQ (for “aquatic”. The aquazems’ horizons are identified and their general properties are described. Most typical of aquazems is the aquagley (AQG horizon; it is dove grey, homogeneous in color and permeated by clay. The upper part is usually enriched in organic matter and may be qualified for aquahumus (AQA or aquapeat (AQT horizons. In case of active hydrodynamic regime and/or strong mixing phenomena, the oxidized (AQOX or aqox horizon, or property could be formed. It is yellowish-grey, thin, and depleted of organic matter. The main types of aquzems specified by forming agents and combinations of horizons are described.

A method of combining dynamic simulation with real-time control was proposed to fit the randomness and uncertainty in the high arch dam construction process. The mathematical logic model of high arch dam construction process was established. By combining dynamic con-struction simulation with schedule analysis, the process of construction schedule forecasting and analysis based on dynamic simulation was studied. The process of real-time schedule control was constructed and some measures for dynamic adjustment and control of construction schedule were provided. A system developed with the method is utilized in a being constructed hydroelectric pro-ject located at the Yellow River in northwest China, which can make the pouring plan of the dam in the next stage (a month, cluarter or year) to guide the practical construction. The application result shows that the system provides an effective technical support for the construction and manage-ment of the dam.

Barrier islands and spits are among the most dynamic and vulnerable coastal features. Sacalin formed at the southernmost Danube mouth (Sfântu Gheorghe arm), representing the youngest downdrift island/spit of the Sfântu Gheorghe deltaic lobe, which previously formed several similar downdrift barrier islands during its cyclic pattern of long-term development (1400 BP - present). In this study, we document a 120 yr record of coastal changes that occurred since the emergence of Sacalin Island (1897), following a major flood, occasioned by its development through constant elongation (towards south) and backwards migration. The barrier island/spit is frequently breached in the central part (narrow inlets) and it experiences episodes of large elongation and retreat rates (up to 300 m/year and 60 m/year). Using successive georeferenced maps, satellite images and field measurements, we derived several morphodynamic indices which were analysed in correspondence with the storm climate. The coastal storms temporal variability shows four active intervals (1962-1972, 1975-1977, 1995-1998, 2002-2004) with highly intensive erosional and accretional processes, and three calm periods (1989-1994, 1999-2001, 2005-2015), with a decrease of 40-70 % of the shoreline migration rates. On the other hand, the successive barrier configurations show a distinct evolutionary pattern of its central sector, controlled by the (subaerial) barrier widths. Thus, following an extraordinary high storm (or storm season), the narrower barrier sectors will benefit from a new generation of breach deposition and washover fans. They will further contribute to the reconfiguration of the barrier on a backward position, where it attains significantly larger widths (250-500 m for the subaerial part) which for a while will inhibit the new large overwash formation able to expand the barrier into the lagoon. After such a "widening episode", the time intervals of barrier backline stability (i.e. unaffected by

Thanjavur is the “Granary of South India”. As the prosperous capital of Chola kingdom it was praised as “Chola Naadu Sorudaithu” (the land that had abundant food). Now, due to Cauvery water shortage issues, the farmers had to be content with single crop a year. Adding to the woes are urbanization and development programs which lack foresight or long term plans that exploit natural resources without a well-articulated thought process. Presently the net sown area in the deltaic region is about 11.87 lac hectares. In the guise of national interests, there is a pursuit of these regions by agencies- public sector undertakings with vested interests. The oil exploration in Cauvery basin (Narimanam block) by Public Sector Undertakings, estimated lignite reserves of 36000 million tonnes and gas reserves and 104.7 billion cubic metres (CBM Coal Gas Methane), which has placed the deltaic region in the corporate radar. Environmentalists and legislators have also turned a blind eye towards the detrimental aftermaths upon the execution of crude product explorations on our cultivable lands.

The present study aims at investigating the vegetation-soil relationships in the Deltaic Mediterranean coastal land of Egypt. The Deltaic coast of the Mediterranean Sea of Egypt can be distinguished into five habitat types, namely: sand dunes, salt marshes, sand sheets, sandy fertile lands and lake shorelines (Manzala, Burullus and Idku). These habitats are categorized into four vegetation groups namely, group A dominated by Rumex pictus, group B codominated by Pancratium maritimum-Cyperus capitatus-Lolium perenne, group C codominated by Arthrocnemum macrostachyum-Atriplex portulacoides-Typha domingensis and group D codominated by Echinochloa stagnina-Typha domingensis-Phragmites australis. One hundred and thirty plant species are recorded in this coast and belonging to 38 families. Out of the recorded species, about 41.54% are annuals, 2.31% biennials and 56.15% perennials. The percentages of the life-form indicated that, therophytes attained the highest representation (43.85%). The floristic analysis revealed that, 55.38% of the recorded species are Mediterranean elements. The ecological amplitudes of the leading species along the gradient of edaphic factors are discussed.

In contemporary contexts, young people are accustomed to life story; indeed, their lives are saturated with constructions of their stories and those of others, whether created by themselves or their "friends" on social networks. Multimedia outlets convey often detailed stories of more-famous others, whether celebrities or those experiencing…

The initial growth stage of a river delta can be defined either as the beginning geomorphologic expansion of the river-dominated coastal lowland or as the starting basinward-directed progradation of the geological/stratigraphic delta body. Differentiating between these two perspectives is necessary for understanding the sensitive reaction of a deltaic system to dynamic changes in sea-level and sediment availability. The Holocene evolution of the northeastern part of the Mekong River delta (Southern Vietnam) offers a great chance to depict these two different definitions and relate them genetically to each other since the transition between an old abrasion platform (inner delta) and the continental-shelf basin (outer delta) is well developed in this marginal part of the delta. The early stage of delta growth taking place during transgression-related inundation between 8 cal ka BP (maximum flooding) and 5.7 (6.0-4.8) cal ka BP (sea-level highstand) was characterized by tide-and saltwater-influenced nearshore conditions allowing extensive mangrove and tidal-flat deposits to aggradate on the wide abrasion platform. With the onset of regression around 4.8 cal ka BP the depositional center shifted immediately beyond the seaward margin of this estuarine platform and thus true deltaic progradation could develop leading to rapid construction of a delta body (and, in addition, to subsidence/tilting of the inner delta zone). Directly at the transition of these two deposystems, remains of shore-related deposits indicate the sudden breakdown of the estuarine platform conditions around 4.6 cal ka BP.

OBJECTIVE: The purposes of this article are to highlight aspects of tests that increase or decrease their effectiveness and to provide guidelines for constructinghigh-quality tests in radiology. CONCLUSION: Many radiologists help construct tests for a variety of purposes. Only well-constructed tests can provide reliable and valuable information about the test taker.

OBJECTIVE: The purposes of this article are to highlight aspects of tests that increase or decrease their effectiveness and to provide guidelines for constructinghigh-quality tests in radiology. CONCLUSION: Many radiologists help construct tests for a variety of purposes. Only well-constructed test

This paper presents the Gaz De France Group policy facing the sustainable development: an quality environment, a better energy efficiency and economical efficiency. In this framework the Group policy is in agreement with the HQE (High Environmental Quality) representation. To illustrate the presentation, three examples of realizations in the construction sector are presented. (A.L.B.)

The paper includes some constructional propositions which arose while designing 10 MW Bitter-type magnet. The discussion on how to reduce mechanical stresses within the internal coil through its appropriate division causing no change of pre-assumed current distribution is also provided. Moreover, the paper deals with application of common means for feeding electric current and cooling water which make the electromagnet design considerable simplified and cause the electric energy losses at pow...

Basic concepts of precision surveying are briefly reviewed, and an historical account is given of instruments and techniques used during the construction of the Proton Synchrotron (1954-59), the Intersecting Storage Rings (1966-71), and the Super Proton Synchrotron (1971). A nylon wire device, distinvar, invar wire and tape, and recent automation of the gyrotheodolite and distinvar as well as auxiliary equipment (polyurethane jacks, Centipede) are discussed in detail. The paper ends summarizing the present accuracy in accelerator metrology, giving an outlook of possible improvement, and some aspects of staffing for the CERN Survey Group. (0 refs).

The paper includes some constructional propositions which arose while designing 10 MW Bitter-type magnet. The discussion on how to reduce mechanical stresses within the internal coil through its appropriate division causing no change of pre-assumed current distribution is also provided. Moreover, the paper deals with application of common means for feeding electric current and cooling water which make the electromagnet design considerably simplified and cause the electric energy losses at power connections to be lower due to the relatively large cooling surface.

Full Text Available At the moment utilisation of nano technology in every aspect in human life were growing rapidly. In this research, a new nano material was produce from kaolin clay and compare to OPC in terms of surface analysis, particle sizing and micrograph image on new modification of kaolin clay particles. Kaolin clay was established in two processes which are before and after heat treatment. Apart from that, transformation of kaolin clay to nano material was monitor by using Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM and new nano materials were formed. Those images were supported by X Ray Diffraction analysis (XRD, X Ray Fluorescence (XRF and laser particle analyser to see the chemical composition and particle size for all specimens. A combination of rough, smooth and long section can be analysed. From this analysis a new develops nano materials can be achieved and can be utilised especially for construction purposes.

In 1967-1970, 3.81 km/sup 2/ of a densely populated deltaic area of Hooghly district in West Bengal, India was intensively studied. This same area was resurveyed in 1977 and 1987. From 1977-1987, the human population has increased 10.1%, while the number of households has increased 25%. The total number of children below 10 years of age has diminished. The cattle have increased 26.5%. The number of working-age male cattle has dropped significantly with reliance, primarily on hand tractor power for field cultivation. The number of female cattle has increased substantially. Artificial insemination and the use of temperate breeds of bulls have had an obvious impact. Improvements in the general environment were observed.

One major threat to validity in high-stakes testing is construct-irrelevant variance. In this study we explored whether the transition from a paper-and-pencil to a computer-based test mode in a high-stakes test in China, the College English Test, has brought about variance irrelevant to the construct being assessed in this test. Analyses of the…

Andrea Taramelli1,2,3, Emiliana Valentini2,3, Alessandra Nguyenxuan2, Federico Filipponi3, Chiara Casarotti2, Arianna Morelli1 1IUSS Institute for Advanced Study, Piazza della Vittoria 15, 27100, Pavia, ITALY 2Eucentre Foundation, European Centre for Training and Research in Earthquake Engineering, Pavia, Italy 3ISPRA, Institute for Environmental Protection and Research, Via Vitaliano Brancati 48, 00144, Roma Deltas are widely identified as vulnerable hotspots at the interface of the continental land mass and the world's coastal boundaries. With respect to increasing risks related to global change, the concept of ecosystem services has a capacity to contribute to safety of both, social and natural systems and vulnerability reduction. Here we study the role of the pool of ecosystem services in terms of flood mitigation and vulnerability reduction model, in a deltaic margins of the European coast (the complex land-sea system of the Waddenzee, comprising the Netherland inner coast and the islands, North Sea) then applicable to a wide variety of deltaic regions in developing areas. Extensive tidal mud flats, saltmarshes, dune ridges and sandy spits between the mainland and the chain of islands, support valuable sediment and primary production regulation along the seaside of these ecosystems. The system includes an incentive ecosystem structure (dune system) whereby economic agents would choose development activities that reduce vulnerability (flooding protection and erosion prevention) as well as satisfy production objectives (recreation and tourism). Vulnerability values extracted using remote sensing processors represent an innovative development of systems and methodologies. Using remote sensing observations, we investigate the distribution of spatial vegetation and substrate patterns controlled by changes in environmental variables acting on deltas, and we speculate the conditions under which the Real Elementary area can be defined.

Freshwater and sediment management in estuaries affects water quality, particularly in deltaic estuaries. Furthermore, climate change-induced sea-level rise (SLR) and land subsidence also affect estuarine water quality by changing salinity, circulation, stratification, sedimentation, erosion, residence time, and other physical and ecological processes. However, little is known about how the magnitudes and spatial and temporal patterns in estuarine water quality variables will change in response to freshwater and sediment management in the context of future SLR. In this study, we applied the Delft3D model that couples hydrodynamics and water quality processes to examine the spatial and temporal variations of salinity, total suspended solids, and chlorophyll-α concentration in response to small (142 m3 s−1) and large (7080 m3 s−1) Mississippi River (MR) diversions under low (0.38 m) and high (1.44 m) relative SLR (RSLR = eustatic SLR + subsidence) scenarios in the Breton Sound Estuary, Louisiana, USA. The hydrodynamics and water quality model were calibrated and validated via field observations at multiple stations across the estuary. Model results indicate that the large MR diversion would significantly affect the magnitude and spatial and temporal patterns of the studied water quality variables across the entire estuary, whereas the small diversion tends to influence water quality only in small areas near the diversion. RSLR would also play a significant role on the spatial heterogeneity in estuary water quality by acting as an opposite force to river diversions; however, RSLR plays a greater role than the small-scale diversion on the magnitude and spatial pattern of the water quality parameters in this deltaic estuary.

This thesis is an in-depth study of the design and construction of coils for pulsed magnets energised by a capacitor bank, including mathematical modelling and testing of the coils. The magnetic field generated by solenoid magnets with homogeneous and non-homogenous current distribution is calculated with the elliptical integral method. Coupled partial differential equations for magnetic and thermal diffusion and the electric circuits are solved numerically to calculate the pulse shape and the heating in a pulsed magnet. The calculations are in good agreement with test results for a large range of different coils; this provides useful insights for optimised coil design. Stresses and strains in the mid-plane of the coil are analytically calculated by solving the system of equations describing the displacement in each layer of the coil. Non-linear stress-strain characteristics and the propagation of the plastic deformation are taken into account by sub- dividing each layer of the coil in the radial direction and changing the elastic-plastic matrix at each transition point. Conductors, insulating materials and techniques used for pulsed magnets are discussed in detail. More than 80 pulsed magnets with optimised combinations of conductors and reinforcements have been built and tested, with peak fields in the range 45-73 T and a bore size from 8 mm-35 mm. The pulse duration is of the order of 10 milliseconds. A dual stage pulsed magnet for use at a free electron laser has been developed. This has a rise time of 10 microseconds and enables magneto-optical experiments in a parameter range previously inaccessible to condensed matter physicists. The joint of superconducting cables can be modelled by means of distributed circuit elements that characterise current diffusion.

This paper discussed the design and operational challenges of a horizontal high-pressure air injection well currently in use at the Cedar Hill Red River B field in North Dakota. The field was developed in 1994, using horizontal wells oriented from the northeast to the southwest corners of each section on 640 acre spacing. In March of 2001, the field was unitized resulting in a horizontal waterflood project and a 320 acre horizontal high pressure air injection project. Extreme temperatures and pressures occurring in the reservoir from the combustion processes associated with high pressure air injection have resulted in several challenges. Reservoir and fluid properties of the field were presented, as well as a type log. Details of the Buffalo and Cedar Hills field were also provided, with a comparison of horizontal and vertical patterns. A light oil displacement process was reviewed, with details of tubing leak corrosion, packer seal and detonation failures. Burn front exposure to casing was discussed, and a wellbore diagram was provided. Various horizontal conversions were discussed. A description of the Cedar Hills Compressor Station and compression trains was provided. It was concluded that knowledge gained from 25 years of vertical high pressure air injection experience has been successfully incorporated to create a safe and durable design. 1 tab., 16 figs.

Heat-resistant silicone gels were synthesized by replacing the single main chain polymethylhydrosiloxane with reactive ladderlike polyhydrosilsesquioxane copolymers. Because of the interaction between polydimethylsiloxane chains and the ladderlike polysilsesquioxanes chains, the cyclization of the polydimethylsiloxane chains is hindered. The high thermal stability of the ladderlike polymers can improve the thermal stability of the silicone gels without sacrificing their good comprehensive properties.

Full Text Available The low atmospheric pressure and low oxygen content in high-altitude environment have great impacts on the functions of human body. Especially for the personnel engaged in complicated physical labor such as tunnel construction, high altitude can cause a series of adverse physiological reactions, which may result in multiple high-altitude diseases and even death in severe cases. Artificial oxygen supply is required to ensure health and safety of construction personnel in hypoxic environments. However, there are no provisions for oxygen supply standard for tunnel construction personnel in high-altitude areas in current tunnel construction specifications. As a result, this paper has theoretically studied the impacts of high-altitude environment on human bodies, analyzed the relationship between labor intensity and oxygen consumption in high-altitude areas and determined the critical oxygen-supply altitude values for tunnel construction based on two different standard evaluation systems, i.e., variation of air density and equivalent PIO2. In addition, it has finally determined the oxygen supply standard for construction personnel in high-altitude areas based on the relationship between construction labor intensity and oxygen consumption.

With the development of our countryl's city modernization construction,the high-formwork supports system was used more and more,but national standard of high-formwork supports has been not officially promulgated[1]at present,so we do not have a unified standard in high-formwork supports design and construction.This text puts forward some views about windload by calculating and analyzing the effects that windload causes to the structure.

High-voltage transmission tower construction is a high-risk operation due to the construction site locations, extreme climatic factors, elevated working surfaces, and narrow working space. To comprehensively enhance our understanding of the psychophysiological phenomena of workers in extremely high tower constructions, we carried out a series of field experiments to test and compare three working surface heights in terms of frequency-domain heart rate variability (HRV) measurements. Twelve experienced male workers participated in this experiment. The dependent variables, namely, heart rate (HR), normalized low-frequency power (nLF), normalized high-frequency power (nHF), and LF-to-HF power ratio (LF/HF), were measured with the Polar RS800CX heart rate monitor. The experimental results indicated that the task workload was similar between working surface heights. Tower construction workers perceived an increased level of mental stress as working surface height increased.

The late Pleistocene Scarborough Formation of the Lake Ontario Basin represents a lacustrine-deltaic sequence strongly affected by a nearby glacier. It shows gradual upward coarsening and thickening of layers from varve-like, clay-rich rhythmites at the base to channelized cross-bedded sands at the top. Thick, lensing, "massive" layers (Cm) of silty sand are found interstratified with thin layers of silt and clay in the lower and middle parts of the sequence. These "massive" layers were probably formed by subaqueous gravity flows of material in part derived directly from a glacier. Absence of pebbles and of other features such as glacial silt-pellets suggests dispersal away from the foot of the glacier rather than deposition under floating ice. Varve-like rhythmites, pollen and insect fauna indicate subarctic to arctic climatic conditions at the time of sediment deposition. The large amount of sand in the upper part of the formation is best explained as derived from active outwash fans. Similar fans were formed during the last deglaciation in southern Ontario and can be observed on the landscape.

Climate change is expected to affect the hydrological cycle, altering seawater level and groundwater recharge to coastal aquifers with various other associated impacts on natural ecosystems and human activities. As the sustainable use of groundwater resources is a great challenge for many countries in the world, groundwater modeling has become a very useful and well established tool for studying groundwater management problems. This study investigates the impacts of climate change on the groundwater of the deltaic plain of River Pinios (Central Greece). Geophysical data processing indicates that the phreatic aquifer extends mainly in the central and northern parts of the region. A one-layer transient groundwater flow and contaminant mass transport model of the aquifer system is calibrated and validated. Impacts of climate change were evaluated by incorporating the estimated recharge input and sea level change of different future scenarios within the simulation models. The most noticeable and consistent result of the climate change impact simulations is a prominent sea water intrusion in the coastal aquifer mainly as a result of sea level change which underlines the need for a more effective planning of environmental measures.

Full Text Available Over the past two decades, river cruise tourism has witnessed a strong development, being preferred by more tourists each year, to the detriment of other forms of tourism. The presence of a plethora of attractive resources, concentrated along the inland waterways represents a particular offer for tourism development, through proper planning. However, in Romania, river cruise tourism is still incipient, even though cruises on the Danube are available, on a regular basis, since the 1970s. This research focuses on cruise ship tourism on the Danube, in particularly on the deltaic sector; with the Romanian ship MS Delta Star as a case study. Following, a brief presentation of the evolution of this type of tourism on the Danube River and its peculiarities on the Romanian sector, especially in the Danube Delta, was made. The assessment framework of the tourism potential of the Danube Delta at the level of administrative-territorial units was developed by applying the methodology from the National Spatial Plan. After correlating the results of the assessment with the current capitalization of tourism potential of the delta by the cruise ship included in the study, it is highlighted the need for optimizing the structure of the offer for this tourism sector. Identifying the most valuable elements of the Danube Delta, in terms of touristical attractions and including them to future itineraries for tourists on cruise ships guarantees a better capitalization of the tourism potential attracting therefore, a greater number of tourists.

Modern experiments for the search of extremely rare processes require high resolutions (order of 50-200 keV/c) tracking systems for particle momenta in the range of 50-300 MeV/c, dominated by multiple scattering contributions. We will present a newly developed construction technique for ultra-low mass Drift Chambers fulfilling this goal. It consists of (1) a semiautomatic wiring machine with a high degree of control over wire mechanical tensioning (better than 0.2 g) and over wire positioning (of the order of 20 μm) for simultaneous wiring of multi-wire layers; (2) a contact-less IR laser soldering tool designed for a feed-through-less wire anchoring system; (3) an automatic handling system for storing and transporting the multi-wire layers to be placed over the drift chamber end-plates. These techniques have been successfully implemented at INFN-Lecce and University of Salento and are currently being used for the construction of Drift Chamber of the MEG (μ → eγ) upgrade experiment.

Full Text Available The automatic monitoring of shortenings of vertical members in high-rise buildings under construction is a challenging issue in the high-rise building construction field. In this study, a practical system for monitoring column shortening in a high-rise building under construction is presented. The proposed monitoring system comprises the following components: (1 a wireless sensing system and (2 the corresponding monitoring software. The wireless sensing system comprises the sensors and energy-efficient wireless sensing units (sensor nodes, master nodes, and repeater nodes, which automate the processes for measuring the strains of vertical members and transmitting the measured data to the remote server. The monitoring software enables construction administrators to monitor real-time data collected by the server via an Internet connection. The proposed monitoring system is applied to actual 66-floor and 72-floor high-rise buildings under construction. The system enables automatic and real-time measurements of the shortening of vertical members, which can result in more precise construction.

A high-intensity acoustic test facility was constructed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to support the Mariner Mars 1971 project. For ease of construction, the reverberation chamber itself is rectangular, which resulted in very little sacrifice in acoustic performance. Levels as high as 156 dB can be achieved with the chamber empty and test levels of 150 dB have been used with a Mariner Mars spacecraft model (full size) in the chamber. Levels as high as this must be generated using electropneumatic transducers, which modulate gaseous nitrogen to this facility.

A shortened form of the Career Construction Interview (CCI) was used to help high school students struggling with the career decision making process. The shortened instrument is described, as well as, its use with eleventh grade high school students who had low levels of career concern and career curiosity. Students who completed the exercise…

It has long been recognized that the world's largest deltas that often host major population centers are particularly vulnerable to accelerating rates of relative sea-level rise (RSLR). Traditionally, tide-gauge records are used to obtain quantitative data on rates of RSLR, given that they are perceived to capture the rise of the sea surface as well as land subsidence which is often substantial in deltaic settings. We argue here that tide gauges in such settings often provide ambiguous data because they ultimately measure RSLR with respect to a benchmark that is typically anchored tens of meters below the land surface. This is problematic because the prime target of interest is usually the rate of RSLR with respect to the delta top. We illustrate this problem with newly obtained rod surface elevation table - marker horizon (RSET-MH) data from the Mississippi Delta (n=185) that show that total subsidence is dominated by shallow subsidence in the uppermost 5-10 m. Since benchmarks in this region are anchored at 20 m depth on average, tide-gauge records by definition do not capture this important (and often even dominant) component of total subsidence, and thus underestimate RSLR by a considerable amount. We show how RSET-MH data, combined with GPS and satellite altimetry data, enable us to bypass this problem. Present-day rates of RSLR in the Mississippi Delta are 13±9 mm/yr, considerably higher than numbers reported in recent studies based on tide-gauge analysis. It seems unlikely that this problem is unique to the Mississippi Delta, so we argue that the approach to RSLR measurements in large deltas across the planet needs rethinking.

Total Quality Management (TQM) is not a new concept. Only recently (within the past ten years or so) have American companies started to realize the potential of TQM as a means of ensuring high quality products and services. With this realization has come implementation in manufacturing and service companies. A commercial construction company, like any other business, must provide a top quality finished product to its customer if it intends to stay in business. TQM is one way to work to that end. This report explores the quality problems facing my fictitious construction company, which I believe are fairly typical among the commercial construction industry, existing management methods, and the TQM method to ensure top quality production. It will be shown why I believe TQM or a variation thereof is the best method for controlling the quality of products and service during the construction process. Under the philosophy of TQM, we build quality into the finished product.

Pulsed load applications like laser based systems need high voltage dc power supplies with better regulation characteristics. This paper presents the design, construction and testing of dc power supply with 1 kV output at 300 W power level. The designed converter has half bridge switched mode power supply (SMPS) configuration with 20 kHz switching. The paper covers the design of half bridge inverter, closed loop control, High frequency transformer and other related electronics. The designed power supply incorporates a low cost OPAMP based feedback controller which is designed using small signal modelling of the converter. The designed converter was constructed and found to work satisfactorily as per the specifications.

Sufyan Sub-basin is an East-West trending Sub-basin located in the northwestern part of the Muglad Basin (Sudan), in the eastern extension of the West and Central Africa Rift System (WCARS). The Early Cretaceous Abu Gabra Formation considered as the main source rock in the Muglad Basin. In Sufyan Sub-basin the Early Cretaceous Upper Abu Gabra Formation is the main oil-producing reservoir. It is dominated by sandstone and shales deposited in fluvio-deltaic and lacustrine environment during the first rift cycle in the basin. Depositional and post-depositional processes highly influenced the reservoir quality and architecture. This study investigates different scales of reservoir heterogeneities from macro to micro scale. Subsurface facies analysis was analyzed based on the description of six conventional cores from two wells. Approaches include well log analysis, thin sections and scanning electron microscope (SEM) investigations, grain-size, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of the Abu Gabra sandstone. The cores and well logs analyses revealed six lithofacies representing fluvio-deltaic and lacustrine depositional environment. The sandstone is medium to coarse-grained, poorly to moderately sorted and sub-angular to subrounded, Sub-feldspathic arenite to quartz arenite. On macro-scale, reservoir quality varies within Abu Gabra reservoir where it shows progressive coarsening upward tendencies with different degrees of connectivity. The upper part of the reservoir showed well connected and amalgamated sandstone bodies, the middle to lower parts, however, have moderate to low sandstone bodies' connectivity and amalgamation. On micro-scale, sandstone reservoir quality is directly affected by textures and diagenesis.The XRD and SEM analyses show that kaolinite and chlorite clay are the common clay minerals in the studied samples. Clay matrix and quartz overgrowth have significantly reduced the reservoir porosity and permeability, while the dissolution of feldspars

Nearly 11 billion barrels of mobile oil remain in known domestic fluvial-deltaic reservoirs despite their mature status. A large percentage of this strategic resource is in danger of permanent loss through premature abandonment. Detailed reservoir characterization studies that integrate advanced technologies in geology, geophysics, and engineering are needed to identify remaining resources that can be targeted by near-term recovery methods, resulting in increased production and the postponement of abandonment. The first and most critical step of advanced characterization studies is the identification of reservoir architecture. However, existing subsurface information, primarily well logs, provides insufficient lateral resolution to identify low-permeability boundaries that exist between wells and compartmentalize the reservoir. Methods to predict lateral variability in fluvial-deltaic reservoirs have been developed on the basis of outcrop studies and incorporate identification of depositional setting and position within a depositional cycle. The position of a reservoir within the framework of a depositional cycle is critical. Outcrop studies of the Cretaceous Ferron Sandstone of Utah have demonstrated that the architecture and internal heterogeneity of sandstones deposited within a given depositional setting (for example, delta front) vary greatly depending upon whether they were deposited in the early, progradational part of a cycle or the late, retrogradational part of a cycle. The application of techniques similar to those used by this study in other fluvial-deltaic reservoirs will help to estimate the amount and style of remaining potential in mature reservoirs through a quicklook evaluation, allowing operators to focus characterization efforts on reservoirs that have the greatest potential to yield additional resources.

Nonlinearity is a nonlinear criterion of Boolean function. In this paper, some useful definitions and theorems are introduced, and then three new ways to construct the highly nonlinear balanced boolean function are given by ways of concatenating, dividing, modifying and alternating, which are proven to be very effective.

The purpose of this study aimed to construct an online competitive game-based learning system by using freeware for junior high school students and to assess its effectiveness. From the learning standpoints, game mechanisms including learning points, competition mechanism, training room mechanism, questioning & answering mechanism, tips, and…

A high-copy-number plasmid expression vector (pIJ6021) was constructed that contains a thiostrepton-inducible promoter, PtipA, from Streptomyces lividans 66. The promoter and ribosome-binding site of tipA lie immediately upstream from a multiple cloning site (MCS) which begins with a NdeI site (5'-C

The construction of a new highly-sensitive, computer-interfaced, differential thermal analysis (DTA) device, used for gathering different information about the chemical reactions, is described. The instrument provides a better understanding about the phase transitions, phase diagrams and many more concepts to the students.

The construction of a new highly-sensitive, computer-interfaced, differential thermal analysis (DTA) device, used for gathering different information about the chemical reactions, is described. The instrument provides a better understanding about the phase transitions, phase diagrams and many more concepts to the students.

Full Text Available This paper briefly presents an overview of the material characteristics of a Malaysia blend of ultra-high performance ductile concrete (UHPdC know as DURA®. Examples of the environmental impact calculations of UHPdC structures compared to that of conventional reinforced concrete design are presented. The comparison studies show that many structures constructed from UHPdC are generally more environmentally sustainable than built of the conventional reinforced concrete with respect to the reduction of CO2 emissions and embodied energy. The enhanced durability of UHPdC also provides for significant improvements in the design life, which further supporting the concept of sustainable construction.

Full Text Available With the wide use of double-stranded RNA interference (RNAi for the analysis of gene function in plants, a high-throughput system for making hairpin RNA (hpRNA constructs is in great demand. Here, we describe a novel restriction-ligation approach that provides a simple but efficient construction of intron-containing hpRNA (ihpRNA vectors. The system takes advantage of the type IIs restriction enzyme BsaI and our new plant RNAi vector pRNAi-GG based on the Golden Gate (GG cloning. This method requires only a single PCR product of the gene of interest flanked with BsaI recognition sequence, which can then be cloned into pRNAi-GG at both sense and antisense orientations simultaneously to form ihpRNA construct. The process, completed in one tube with one restriction-ligation step, produced a recombinant ihpRNA with high efficiency and zero background. We demonstrate the utility of the ihpRNA constructs generated with pRNAi-GG vector for the effective silencing of various individual endogenous and exogenous marker genes as well as two genes simultaneously. This method provides a novel and high-throughput platform for large-scale analysis of plant functional genomics.

A 3.2 MeV injector has been designed and built for the Darht II Project at Los Alamos Lab. The installation of the complete injector system is nearing completion at this time. The requirements for the injector are to produce a 3.2 MeV, 2000 ampere electron pulse with a flattop width of at least 2-microseconds and emittance of less than 0.15 p cm-rad normalized. A large high voltage column has been built and installed. The column is vertically oriented, is 4.4 meters long, 1.2 meters in diameter, and weights 5700 kilograms. A novel method of construction has been employed which utilizes bonded mycalex insulating rings. This paper will describe the design, construction, and testing completed during construction. Mechanical aspects of the design will be emphasized.

Recent advances in molecular biology have made it possible to construct complete gene libraries for any organism that uses DNA as its carrier of genetic information. A gene library should contain a large number of cloned DNA fragments that in total contain the entire donor genome. The construction of a genomic library first requires the isolation of DNA from the donor organism. To be of maximum use in the construction of genomic libraries, DNA isolated from the donor organism should fulfill the following criteria. First, the DNA must represent all sequences in the genome to be cloned. Second, it must be of high molecular weight. Third, no contaminants must taint the DNA so that its use as a substrate for restriction endonucleases and other enzymes used in genetic engineering is uninhibited.

The fish Diapterus rhombeus was studied during an annual cycle from 1992 to 1993 in the fluvial-deltaic Pom-Atasta system associated with Terminos Lagoon, Campeche, Mexico. It is a dominant species in the system, based on its numeric abundance, weight, high frequency and wide distribution. A total of 745 individuals were obtained, with a weigth of 2 890.2 g and length ranging from 3.0 to 16.7 cm. The annual variation of the allometric coefficient b was from 2.71 to 3.345. The condition factor varied from 0.711 to 0.934. The statistical analysis shows significant differences (p < 0.05) between the seasons of the year and the habitats of the system for the weight, the longitude and the condition factor K, which reflects the space-temporal utilization of the system for the species. The population present at Pom-Atasta, consists mainly by juvenile and few preadults individuals in gonadal stages I, II, and III, and more females than males were recorded. This species utilizes the system as a nursery area, growth and feeding area. It has a varied trophic spectrum, and consumes at least eight different groups. Its principal food items are undetermined organic matter, foraminifers, ostracods and tanaidaceans. It is a first order consumer. The Pom-Atasta system is located in a zone of intense fishing and oil activity, so it is important to advance in the knowledge of its fishing resources.

Non-uniform composition and permeability of a reservoir, commonly referred to as reservoir heterogeneity, is recognized as a major factor in the efficient recovery of oil during primary production and enhanced recovery operations. Heterogeneities are present at various scales and are caused by various factors, including folding and faulting, fractures, diagenesis and depositional environments. Thus, a reservoir consists of a complex flow system, or series of flow systems, dependent on lithology, sandstone genesis, and structural and thermal history. Ultimately, however, fundamental flow units are controlled by the distribution and type of depositional environments. Reservoir heterogeneity is difficult to measure and predict, especially in more complex reservoirs such as fluvial-deltaic sandstones. The Appalachian Oil and Natural Gas Research Consortium (AONGRC), a partnership of Appalachian basin state geological surveys in Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, and West Virginia University, studied the Lower Mississippian Big Injun sandstone in West Virginia. The Big Injun research was multidisciplinary and designed to measure and map heterogeneity in existing fields and undrilled areas. The main goal was to develop an understanding of the reservoir sufficient to predict, in a given reservoir, optimum drilling locations versus high-risk locations for infill, outpost, or deeper-pool tests.

The software construction process consists of a mixture of informal and formal steps. By their very nature, informal steps cannot be formally verified. Empirical evidence suggests that a majority of software errors originate in the informal steps of the software development process. For this reason, when constructinghigh assurance software, it is essential that a significant effort be made to increase one`s confidence (i.e., to validate) that the informal steps have been made correctly. Visualization and animation can be used to provide an `intuitive proof` that the informal steps in the software construction process are correct. In addition, the formal portion of software construction often permits/demands artistic (informal) decisions to be made (e.g., design decisions). Such decisions often have unexpected/unforeseen consequences that are only discovered later in the development process. Visualization and animation techniques can be brought to bear on this aspect of the software construction process by providing a better intuitive understanding of the impact of the informal decisions that are made in program development. This increases the likelihood that undesirable decisions can be avoided or at least detected earlier in the development process.

The often applied engineering approach to safety management in the construction industry needs to be supplemented by organizational measures and measures based on how people conceive and react to their social environment. This requires in-depth knowledge of the broad preconditions for high safety standards in construction. The aim of the study was to comprehensively describe the preconditions and components of high safety standards in the construction industry from the perspective of both experienced construction workers and first-line managers. Five worker safety representatives and 19 first-line managers were interviewed, all strategically selected from within a large Swedish construction project. Phenomenographic methodology was used for data acquisition and analysis and to categorize the information. Nine informants verified the results. The study identified four main categories of work safety preconditions and components: (1) Project characteristics and nature of the work, which set the limits of safety management; (2) Organization and structures, with the subcategories planning, work roles, procedures, and resources; (3) Collective values, norms, and behaviors, with the subcategories climate and culture, and interaction and cooperation; and (4) Individual competence and attitudes, with the subcategories knowledge, ability and experience, and individual attitudes. The results comprehensively describe high safety standards in construction, incorporating organizational, group, individual, and technical aspects. High-quality interaction between different organizational functions and hierarchical levels stood out as important aspects of safety. The results are discussed in relation to previous research into safety and into the social-psychological preconditions for other desired outcomes in occupational settings. The results can guide construction companies in planning and executing construction projects to a high safety standard.

We present a parameterisation of fluvio-deltaic drainage network evolution and alluvial architecture in a basin-scale 2-DH model. The model setup is capable of producing convergent and divergent channel networks. Major elements are the alluvial-ridge aggradation and the coupled overbank deposition, the dimension and style of the channel belt and the sub-grid stratigraphic expression. Avulsions are allowed to develop out of randomly instigated crevasses. Channel stability is modelled one dimensionally by calculating the flow and sediment transport at prospective avulsion nodes. The ultimate fate of crevasses (failed avulsion, successful avulsion, stable bifurcation) depends on the ratio of cross-valley and in-channel gradients in the local neighbourhood of the grid cell under consideration and on the amount and distribution of the suspended sediment load in the water column. The sub-grid parameterisation yields implicit knowledge of the alluvial architecture, which may be analysed stochastically. Stochastic realisations of the alluvial architecture allow us to investigate the relationship between basin-fill architecture and small-scale alluvial architecture, which is likely to improve geological reservoir modelling of these notoriously complex deposits. Modelling results under conditions of time-invariant forcing indicate significant quasi-cyclic autogenic behaviour of the fluvio-deltaic system. Changes in the avulsion frequency are correlated with the number and length of distributary channels, which are in turn related to alternating phases of progradational and aggradational delta development. The resulting parasequences may be difficult to distinguish from their allogenically induced counterparts.

The Frio Fluvial-Deltaic Sandstone oil play of South Texas has produced nearly 1 billion barrels of oil, yet it still contains about 1.6 billion barrels of unrecovered mobile oil and nearly the same amount of residual oil resources. Interwell-scale geologic facise models of Frio Fluvial-deltaic reservoirs are being combined with engineering assessments and geophysical evaluations in order to determine the controls that these characteristics exert on the location and volume or unrecovered mobile and residual oil. Progress in the third year centered on technology transfer. An overview of project tasks is presented.

Surface display is effectively utilized to construct a whole-cell biocatalyst.Codon optimization has been proven to be effective in maximizing production of heterologous proteins in yeast.Here,the cDNA sequence of Rhizopus oryzae lipase (ROL) was optimized and synthesized according to the codon bias of Saccharomyces cerevisiae,and based on the Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell surface display system with α-agglutinin as an anchor,recombinant yeast displaying fully codon-optimized ROL with high activity was successfully constructed.Compared with the wild-type ROL-displaying yeast,the activity of the codon-optimized ROL yeast whole-cell biocatalyst (25 U/g dried cells) was 12.8-fold higher in a hydrolysis reaction using p-nitrophenyl palmitate (pNPP) as the substrate.To our knowledge,this was the first attempt to combine the techniques of yeast surface display and codon optimization for whole-cell biocatalyst construction.Consequently,the yeast whole-cell ROL biocatalyst was constructed with high activity.The optimum pH and temperature for the yeast whole-cell ROL biocatalyst were pH 7.0 and 40 ℃.Furthermore,this whole-cell biocatalyst was applied to the hydrolysis of tributyrin and the resulted conversion of butyric acid reached 96.91％ after 144 h.

Full Text Available This article reports some of the key findings from a practitioner-action research study that analyzed the impact of co-construction on students’ quantitative literacy (QL and attitudes towards mathematics. Co-construction is a process where students work alongside their teachers to plan units, lessons, and assessments, and this approach was chosen because of its potential to help students advocate for the specific mathematical contexts that would best develop their QL. This yearlong study took place in a public high school, with forty-five students in two different classes participating. Students formally contributed to the development of the course by completing written questionnaires and participating in large- and small-group discussions, and they contributed informally through their participation in class, performance on assessments, and reflections on various assignments, which I considered in field notes and a research journal. I used the constant comparative method to analyze these data, and I arrived at three key themes: (1 co-construction recast traditional roles in the classroom, while still serving as an important form of instruction in itself; (2 developmentally appropriate assignments triggered students’ situational interest, while individualized co-construction proved somewhat effective at developing individual interest; and (3 the co-construction process challenged the way I used to think about mathematics teaching, as students and I reconsidered the content, technology, and classroom practices that would best develop students’ QL. This study fills an important gap in the QL and co-construction literature, and it also has important implications for mathematics practitioners, and for practitioners who want to give students more of a voice in the classroom.

A challenge of metagenomic studies is in the extraction and purification of DNA from environmental samples. The soils of the Cerrado region of Brazil present several technical difficulties to DNA extraction: high clay content (>55% w/w), low pH (4.7) and high iron levels (146 ppm). Here we describe for the first time the efficient recovery and purification of microbial DNA associated with these unusual soil characteristics and the construction and validation of two metagenomic libraries: a 150,000 clones library with insert size of approximately 8 kb and a 65,000 clones library with insert size of approximately 35 kb. The construction of these metagenomic libraries will allow the biotechnological exploitation of the microbial community present in the soil from this endangered biome.

This technical report is focused primarily on laboratory testing that evaluates wind pressure performance characteristics for wall systems constructed with exterior insulating sheathing. This research and test activity will help to facilitate the ongoing use of non-structural sheathing options and provide a more in-depth understanding of how wall system layers perform in response to high wind perturbations normal to the surface.

This technical report is focused primarily on laboratory testing that evaluates wind pressure performance characteristics for wall systems constructed with exterior insulating sheathing. This research and test activity will help to facilitate the ongoing use of non-structural sheathing options and provide a more in-depth understanding of how wall system layers perform in response to high wind perturbations normal to the surface.

This paper briefly presents an overview of the material characteristics of a Malaysia blend of ultra-high performance ductile concrete (UHPdC) know as DURA®. Examples of the environmental impact calculations of UHPdC structures compared to that of conventional reinforced concrete design are presented. The comparison studies show that many structures constructed from UHPdC are generally more environmentally sustainable than built of the conventional reinforced concrete with respect to the redu...

The objective of this study is to investigate whether work fatigue and physiological symptoms that high-elevation construction workers experience would be affected by the occupations. Questionnaires of demographic data and subjective fatigue symptoms as well as some physiological measurements were carried out, pre- and post-shift, on scaffolders, steel fixers, formworkers, electrician-plumbers, concreters and miscellaneous workers at a high-rise building construction site. This study found that some subjective fatigue symptoms coincide with the life style of some workers and that the extent of fatigue symptoms and physiological strains varies among different occupations of construction workers. Scaffolders, steel fixers and formworkers are categorized as physically demanding fatigue type of workers, while concreters, electrician-plumbers and miscellaneous workers as general type. The prevalence and occurrence of subjective fatigue symptoms indicate high-elevation workers have more complaints of "projection of physical impairment" than "drowsiness and dullness" and "difficulty in concentration". Some unexpected changes (i.e., post-shift measurements are greater than pre-shift ones) in some strength tests in scaffolders and concreters were consistent with the observations of how they exercised their bodies during work shift. Considerable variation of average heart rate among occupations was found, with scaffolders the highest and concreters the lowest. This study concludes that questionnaires of subjective fatigue symptoms and some physiological measurements can be used as indicators to predict the extent of strains or hazards which construction workers encounter. In terms of management program of safety and health, more attention should be paid to those physically demanding workers, such as scaffolders, workers with lower sense of safety and health, such as miscellaneous workers, and workers with older age, such as concreters.

The construction of a large-scale copper foilproject recently started in the High-Tech De-velopment Zone of Nanchang,the capital ofJiangxi Province.This new copper foil factory,with a designed annual production capacity of6,000 tons of high-grade copper foil,is a jointventure project between Jiangxi Copper Group,the No.1 copper producer in China,and YatesInc.,a leading US copper product company andthe world’s first electrical circuit board maker.

This paper presents an electric propulsion system designed specifically to meet the performance specification for a competition racing kart application. The paper presents the procedure for the engineering design, construction and testing of the electric powertrain of the vehicle. High performance electric Go-Kart is not an established technology within Australia. It is expected that this work will provide design guidelines for a high performance electric propulsion system with the capability of forming the basis of a competitive electric kart racing formula for Australian conditions.

Full Text Available Problem statement. Technical and economic indexes of projects of construction of high-rise multifunctional complexes, namely: the duration of construction works and the cost of building products depends on the technology of construction works and method of construction organization, and on their choice influence the architectural and design, constructional and engineering made decisions. Purpose. To reveal the regularity of influence of organizational and technological factors on the duration of construction of high-rise multifunctional complexes in the conditions of dense city building. Conclusion. To reveal the regularity of the influence of organizational and technological factors (the height, the factor complexity of design of project and and estimate documentation, factor of complexity of construction works, the factor of complexity of control of investment and construction project, economy factor, comfort factor, factor of technology of projected solutions for the duration of the construction of high-rise multifunctional complexes (depending on their height: from 73,5 m to 100 m inclusively; from 100 m to 200 m inclusively allow us to quantitatively assess their influence and can be used in the development of the methodology of substantiation of the expediency and effectiveness of the realization of projects of high-rise construction in condition of compacted urban development, based on the consideration of the influence of organizational and technological aspects.

The preparation of high T sub c superconducting thin film is important both for the understanding of fundamental behaviours of these materials and for the investigations on the usefulness of technological applications. High quality thin films can be prepared by various kinds of techniques being used today. Among these, sputtering is the most preferred one. The primary aim of this work is the construction of a r. f. and c. magnetron sputtering system. For this goal, a magnetron sputtering system was designed and constructed having powers up to 500W (r.f.) and 1KW (d.c.) that enables to deposit thin films of various kinds of materials: metals, ceramics and magnetic materials. The temperature dependence of the electrical resistance of the films was investigated by using four-point probe method. The zero resistance and the transition with of the films were measured as 80-85 K, and 2-9 K, respectively. The A.C. susceptibility experiments were done by utilising the system that was designed and constructed. The appl...

Full Text Available Direct cloning of PCR fragments by TA cloning or blunt end ligation are two simple methods which would greatly benefit high-throughput (HTP cloning constructions if the efficiency can be improved. In this study, we have developed a ribosomal binding site (RBS switching strategy for direct cloning of PCR fragments. RBS is an A/G rich region upstream of the translational start codon and is essential for gene expression. Change from A/G to T/C in the RBS blocks its activity and thereby abolishes gene expression. Based on this property, we introduced an inactive RBS upstream of a selectable marker gene, and designed a fragment insertion site within this inactive RBS. Forward and reverse insertions of specifically tailed fragments will respectively form an active and inactive RBS, thus all background from vector self-ligation and fragment reverse insertions will be eliminated due to the non-expression of the marker gene. The effectiveness of our strategy for TA cloning and blunt end ligation are confirmed. Application of this strategy to gene over-expression, a bacterial two-hybrid system, a bacterial one-hybrid system, and promoter bank construction are also verified. The advantages of this simple procedure, together with its low cost and high efficiency, makes our strategy extremely useful in HTP cloning constructions.

The main objective of the Port Neches Project was to determine the feasibility and producibility of CO2 miscible flooding techniques enhanced with horizontal drilling applied to a Fluvial Dominated Deltaic reservoir. The second was to disseminate the knowledge gained through established Technology Transfer mechanisms to support DOE's programmatic objectives of increasing domestic oil production and reducing abandonment of oil fields.

This project outlines a proposal to improve the recovery of light oil from waterflooded fluvial dominated deltaic (FDD) reservoir through a miscible carbon dioxide (CO2) flood. The site is the Port Neches Field in Orange County, Texas. The field is well explored and well exploited. The project area is 270 acres within the Port Neches Field.

We test the applicability of quartz optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating on clastic lake sediments to investigate whether this dating method can be applied to study the timing and rate of deposition in Holocene fluvio-deltaic lakes. Our study concerns the filling of a lake by the Angstel-V

The design philosophy, construction, integration, and activation of the high intensity acoustic test chamber for production acceptance testing of satellites are discussed. The 32,000 cubic-foot acoustic test cell consists of a steel reinforced concrete chamber with six electropneumatic noise generators. One of the innovative features of the chamber is a unique quarter horn assembly that acoustically couples the noise generators to the chamber. Design concepts, model testing, and evaluation results are presented. Considerations such as nitrogen versus compressed air source, digital closed loop spectrum control versus manual equalizers, and microprocessor based interlock systems are included. Construction difficulties, anomalies encountered, and their resolution are also discussed. Results of the readiness testing are highlighted.

This is a narrative inquiry into the role of professional development in the construction of teaching practice by an exemplary urban high school science teacher. I collected data during 3 years of ethnographic participant observation in Marie Gonzalez's classroom. Marie told stories about her experiences in ten years of professional development focused on inquiry science teaching. I use a social practice theory lens to analyze my own stories as well as Marie's. I make the case that science teaching is best understood as mediated by socially-constructed identities rather than as the end-product of knowledge and beliefs. The cognitive paradigm for understanding teachers' professional learning fails to consistently produce transformations of teaching practice. In order to design professional development with science teachers that is generative of new knowledge, and is self-sustaining, we must understand how to build knowledge of how to problematize identities and consciously use social practice theory.

The Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction, the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), and Northwest Energy Works (NEW), the current Northwest Energy Efficient Manufactured Housing Program (NEEM) administrator, have been collaborating to conduct research on new specifications that would improve on the energy requirements of a NEEM home. In its role as administrator, NEW administers the technical specs, performs research and engineering analysis, implements ongoing construction quality management procedures, and maintains a central database with home tracking. This project prototyped and assessed the performances of cost-effective high performance building assemblies and mechanical systems that are not commonly deployed in the manufacturing setting. The package of measures is able to reduce energy used for space conditioning, water heating and lighting by 50% over typical manufactured homes produced in the northwest.

The Building America Partnership for Improved Residential Construction, the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), and Northwest Energy Works (NEW), the current Northwest Energy Efficient Manufactured Housing Program (NEEM) administrator, have been collaborating to conduct research on new specifications that would improve on the energy requirements of a NEEM home. In its role as administrator, NEW administers the technical specs, performs research and engineering analysis, implements ongoing construction quality management procedures, and maintains a central database with home tracking. This project prototyped and assessed the performances of cost-effective high performance building assemblies and mechanical systems that are not commonly deployed in the manufacturing setting. The package of measures is able to reduce energy used for space conditioning, water heating and lighting by 50 percent over typical manufactured homes produced in the northwest.

Full Text Available This paper presents the project of designing an agile physical progress measurement system for the construction management department of a multinational company operating in turnkey railway projects field. It has been pointed out that the classical physical progress measurement, based on Earn Value Management (EVM and so financially based, is not suitable for modern high-tech and, in one word, complex, construction projects. So it has been looked for something different, more agile, to easily fix the problem of monitoring on a weekly basis the physical progress of sites. The work starts by describing the process of choosing KPIs, defines an overall physical progress index, than discusses the choice of a baseline to measure against, and at the end it illustrates the visual management implemented.

The paper describes the comprehensive concrete durability studies carried out for deciding the specifications for the MCIA contract for construction of 4 km of underground metro from Vishwa Vidyalaya station to Kashmere Gate station in India. The study involved adiabatic concrete temperature measurement tests to know the heat generation and temperature rising properties inside concrete mass. The paper describes the background for selection of fly ash as a part replacement up to 30% of cement in concrete including determination of specification, identification of source, collection and transportation by bulk carrier and transfer to storage silo at the concrete batching plant. Control of temperature of concrete during production and after placement requires detailed arrangements for cooling aggregates and water at batching plant and thermal insulation along with curing to the concrete placed at site. Fully tanked membrane waterproofing and special waterproofing details at construction joints also contribute towards achieving the high performance durable concrete structure. 3 refs., 6 figs., 11 tabs.

The objective of the Ferron Sandstone project was to develop a comprehensive, interdisciplinary, quantitative characterization f fluvial-deltaic reservoir to allow realistic interwell and reservoir-scale models to be developed for improved oil-field development in similar reservoirs world-wide. Quantitative geological and petrophysical information on the Cretaceous Ferron Sandstone in east-central Utah was collected. Both new and existing data was integrated into a three-dimensional model of spatial variations in porosity, storativity, and tensorial rock permeability at a scale appropriate for inter-well to regional-scale reservoir simulation. Simulation results could improve reservoir management through proper infill and extension drilling strategies, reduction of economic risks, increased recovery from existing oil fields, and more reliable reserve calculations.

Interpretations of seismic profiles, gamma-ray logs and sediment descriptions were used to classify seven facies in Miocene fluvio-deltaic deposits ofDenmark. An impartial approach was adopted by not including analytical data in the facies definition. This approach allowed identification...... is found from the delta slope facies offshore to the delta toe and shelf facies. This trend is interpreted as a result of sorting by turbidity currents. The mixed origin of the transgressive lag facies is shown by the poorer sorting in this facies. By indicating the amount of alteration the sediments have...... been exposed to, the Ti-mineral maturity has proven useful in characterizing the facies. This systematic approach of tying depositional environments to a well-calibrated sequence stratigraphic model has generated analytical results which are valid as reference levels for future facies identifications....

Small modular reactors (SMR) allow for less onsite construction, increase nuclear material security, and provide a flexible and cost-effective energy alternative. SMR can be factory-built as modular components, and shipped to desired locations for fast assembly. This project successfully developed a new class of ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC), which features a compressive strength greater than 22 ksi (150 MPa) without special treatment and self-consolidating characteristics desired for SMR modular construction. With an ultra-high strength and dense microstructure, it will facilitate rapid construction of steel plate-concrete (SC) beams and walls with thinner and lighter modules, and can withstand harsh environments and mechanical loads anticipated during the service life of nuclear power plants. In addition, the self-consolidating characteristics are crucial for the fast construction and assembly of SC modules with reduced labor costs and improved quality. Following the UHPC material development, the capacity of producing self-consolidating UHPC in mass quantities was investigated and compared to accepted self-consolidating concrete standards. With slightly adjusted mixing procedure using large-scale gravity-based mixers (compared with small-scale force-based mixer), the self-consolidating UHPC has been successfully processed at six cubic yards; the product met both minimum compressive strength requirements and self-consolidating concrete standards. Steel plate-UHPC beams (15 ft. long, 12 in. wide and 16 in. deep) and wall panels (40 in. X 40 in. X 3 in.) were then constructed using the self-consolidating UHPC without any external vibration. Quality control guidelines for producing UHPC in large scale were developed. When the concrete is replaced by UHPC in a steel plate concrete (SC) beam, it is critical to evaluate its structural behavior with both flexure and shear-governed failure modes. In recent years, SC has been widely used for buildings and nuclear

We describe the construction of a three-phase equation of state (EOS) for elemental beryllium. The phases considered are: the ambient hcp phase, the high-temperature bcc phase, and the liquid. The free energies of the solid phases are constructed from cold, ion-thermal, and electron-thermal components derived from ab initio electronic structure-based calculations. We find that the bcc phase is unstable near ambient conditions, and that even at high pressures at which the bcc phase is stable, the bcc-hcp energy barrier can be as small as a few hundred Kelvins. The liquid free energy is based on a model of Chisolm and Wallace and is constrained by using the melt curve (determined by ab initio 2-phase simulations) as a reference. The high-temperature plasma limit is addressed with an average-atom-in-jellium model. Comparisons to experimental results, both for the ambient hcp phase, and for the phase diagram as a whole, are discussed.

Due to global crises such as pollution and depletion of fossil fuels, sustainable technologies based on microbial cell-factories have been garnering great interest as an alternative to chemical factories. The development of microbial cell-factories is imperative in cutting down the overall manufacturing cost. Thus, diverse metabolic engineering strategies and engineering tools have been established to obtain a preferred genotype and phenotype displaying superior productivity. However, these tools are limited to only a handful of genes with permanent modification of a genome and significant labor costs, and this is one of the bottlenecks associated with biofactory construction. Therefore, a groundbreaking rapid and high-throughput engineering tool is needed for efficient construction of microbial cell-factories. During the last decade, copious small noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) have been discovered in bacteria. These are involved in substantial regulatory roles like transcriptional and post-transcriptional gene regulation by modulating mRNA elongation, stability, or translational efficiency. Because of their vulnerability, ncRNAs can be used as another layer of conditional control over gene expression without modifying chromosomal sequences, and hence would be a promising high-throughput tool for metabolic engineering. Here, we review successful design principles and applications of ncRNAs for high-throughput metabolic engineering or physiological studies of diverse industrially important microorganisms.

Temperature control,which is directly responsible for the project quality and progress,plays an important role in high arch dam construction.How to discover the rules from a large amount of temperature control information collected in order to guide the adjustment of temperature control measures to prevent cracks on site is the key scientific problem.In this paper,a mathematic logical model was built firstly by means of a coupling analysis of temperature control system decomposition and coordination for high arch dam.Then,an analysis method for temperature control information was presented based on data mining technology.Furthermore,the data warehouse of temperature control was designed,and the artificial neural network forecasting model for the highest temperature of concrete was also developed.Finally,these methods were applied to a practical project. The result showed that the efficiency and precision of temperature control was improved,and rationality and scientificity of management and decision-making were strengthened.All of these researches provided an advanced analysis method for temperature control in the high arch dam construction process.

A new gas-filled ionization chamber for high count rate particle identification has been constructed and commissioned at the Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility (HRIBF) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). To enhance the response time of the ionization chamber, a design utilizing a tilted entrance window and tilted electrodes was adopted, which is modified from an original design by Kimura et al. [1]. A maximum counting rate of ∼700,000 particles per second has been achieved. The detector has been used for several radioactive beam measurements performed at the HRIBF.

A new gas-filled ionization chamber for high count rate particle identification has been constructed and commissioned at the Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility (HRIBF) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). To enhance the response time of the ionization chamber, a design utilizing a tilted entrance window and tilted electrodes was adopted, which is modified from an original design by Kimura et al. [1]. A maximum counting rate of ~700,000 particles per second has been achieved. The detector has been used for several radioactive beam measurements performed at the HRIBF.

The measure guideline provides ventilation guidance for residential high performance multifamily construction that incorporates the requirements of the ASHRAE 62.2 ventilation and indoor air quality standard. The measure guideline focus is on the decision criteria for weighing cost and performance of various ventilation systems. The measure guideline is intended for contractors, builders, developers, designers and building code officials. The guide may also be helpful to building owners wishing to learn more about ventilation strategies available for their buildings. The measure guideline includes specific design and installation instructions for the most cost effective and performance effective solutions for ventilation in multifamily units that satisfies the requirements of ASHRAE 62.2-2016.

Full Text Available High impact tests are characterized by a projectile traveling at high speed as well as complex events such as flying fragments due to the velocity at which the impact occurs; however, these tests have become increasingly popular due to the need for more stringent protective material requirements nowadays. In this paper, the design and construction of a one-stage light gas gun for ballistic testing is presented. This particular design is characterized by its simplicity, excellent performance at low cost and compact dimensions, when compared to commercial systems, presenting an affordable option for materials characterization for high velocity impact tests. The results are completed with the characterization of an armor grade material, obtaining the ballistic limit of the material, as well as demonstrating the effectiveness and versatility of the equipment.

A new development on treatment wetland technology for the purpose of achieving high rate nitrogen removal from high strength wastewater has been made in this study. The laboratory scale alum sludge-based intermittent aeration constructed wetland (AlS-IACW) was integrated with predenitrification, intermittent aeration, and step-feeding strategies. Results obtained from 280 days of operation have demonstrated extraordinary nitrogen removal performance with mean total nitrogen (TN) removal efficiency of 90% under high N loading rate (NLR) of 46.7 g N m(-2) d(-1). This performance was a substantial improvement compared to the reported TN removal performance in literature. Most significantly, partial nitrification and simultaneous nitrification denitrification (SND) via nitrite was found to be the main nitrogen conversion pathways in the AlS-IACW system under high dissolved oxygen concentrations (3-6 mg L(-1)) without specific control. SND under high dissolved oxygen (DO) brings high nitrogen conversion rates. Partial nitrification and SND via nitrite can significantly reduce the demand for organic carbon compared with full nitrification and denitrification via nitrate (up to 40%). Overall, these mechanisms allow the system to maintaining efficient and high rate TN removal even under carbon limiting conditions.

A new roller compacted concrete dam of Fengman Hydropower Station is to be built in the toe of the old dam,which was identified as a dangerous dam.The new dam during construction would be influenced by the high-speed flow discharged from the old dam,which is an important problem to be considered for the first time in China,and which would affect the construction of the whole project.Therefore,a series of erosion experiments were conducted in this article.A high-speed flow erosion test apparatus was developed for the erosion experiments of the new dam materials.The maximum jet velocity goes up to 40 m/s and the section area of the nozzle is 0.0025 m2.In the process of experiments,the equipment shows a good performance.Erosive wear tests for two types of materials used in the new dam,a roller compacted concrete and a distorted concrete with four kinds of ages were carried out with the flow velocity in the range of 30 m/s-35 m/s.Erosion parameters and erosion laws for the two types of concretes with different ages were determined,and a general relationship between the erosion rate and the flow velocity is obtained as:N =cvP,with the velocity exponent P between 3.33 and 3.93.It is concluded that the erosion resistance of the distorted concrete is better than that of the roller compacted concrete and the mechanical properties of the concretes of over 14 d age are influenced slightly by the water impact.The test results might serve as a practical technique guide for the safety of this project during its construction in the flood season.

We complete the reformulation of the holographic correspondence as a highly efficient renormalization group (RG) flow that can also determine the UV data in the field theory in the strong-coupling and large-N limit. We introduce a special way to define operators at any given scale in terms of appropriate coarse-grained collective variables, without requiring the use of the elementary fields. The Wilsonian construction is generalized by promoting the cutoff to a functional of these collective variables. We impose three criteria to determine the coarse-graining. The first criterion is that the effective Ward identities for local conservation of energy, momentum, etc. should preserve their standard forms, but in new scale-dependent background metric and sources which are functionals of the effective single-trace operators. The second criterion is that the scale-evolution equations of the operators in the actual background metric should be state-independent, implying that the collective variables should not explicitly appear in them. The final required criterion is that the end point of the scale-evolution of the RG flow can be transformed to a fixed point corresponding to familiar nonrelativistic equations with a finite number of parameters, such as incompressible nonrelativistic Navier-Stokes, under a certain universal rescaling of the scale and of the time coordinate. Using previous work, we explicitly show that in the hydrodynamic limit each such highly efficient RG flow reproduces a unique classical gravity theory with precise UV data that satisfy our IR criterion and also lead to regular horizons in the dual geometries. We obtain the explicit coarse-graining which reproduces Einstein's equations. In a simple example, we are also able to construct a low-energy effective action and compute the beta function. Finally, we show how our construction can be interpolated with the traditional Wilsonian RG flow at a suitable scale and can be used to develop new

In this paper we consider splitting methods for nonlinear ordinary differential equations in which one of the (partial) flows that results from the splitting procedure cannot be computed exactly. Instead, we insert a well-chosen state [Formula: see text] into the corresponding nonlinearity [Formula: see text], which results in a linear term [Formula: see text] whose exact flow can be determined efficiently. Therefore, in the spirit of splitting methods, it is still possible for the numerical simulation to satisfy certain properties of the exact flow. However, Strang splitting is no longer symmetric (even though it is still a second order method) and thus high order composition methods are not easily attainable. We will show that an iterated Strang splitting scheme can be constructed which yields a method that is symmetric up to a given order. This method can then be used to attain high order composition schemes. We will illustrate our theoretical results, up to order six, by conducting numerical experiments for a charged particle in an inhomogeneous electric field, a post-Newtonian computation in celestial mechanics, and a nonlinear population model and show that the methods constructed yield superior efficiency as compared to Strang splitting. For the first example we also perform a comparison with the standard fourth order Runge-Kutta methods and find significant gains in efficiency as well better conservation properties.

Colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals are emerging as a new class of solution-processable materials for low-cost, flexible, thin-film electronics. Although these colloidal inks have been shown to form single, thin-film field-effect transistors with impressive characteristics, the use of multiple high-performance nanocrystal field-effect transistors in large-area integrated circuits has not been shown. This is needed to understand and demonstrate the applicability of these discrete nanocrystal field-effect transistors for advanced electronic technologies. Here we report solution-deposited nanocrystal integrated circuits, showing nanocrystal integrated circuit inverters, amplifiers and ring oscillators, constructed from high-performance, low-voltage, low-hysteresis CdSe nanocrystal field-effect transistors with electron mobilities of up to 22 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1), current modulation >10(6) and subthreshold swing of 0.28 V dec(-1). We fabricated the nanocrystal field-effect transistors and nanocrystal integrated circuits from colloidal inks on flexible plastic substrates and scaled the devices to operate at low voltages. We demonstrate that colloidal nanocrystal field-effect transistors can be used as building blocks to construct complex integrated circuits, promising a viable material for low-cost, flexible, large-area electronics.

This paper reports new steels for long span bridge construction with the thick steel plate as a main part. On the basis of the high-tension steel utilizing technology examined around 1965, a reheated, quenched-and-tempered martensitic steel plate (HT690) was used for the Onaruto Bridge and Seto Ohashi Bridge in a Honsyu-Shikoku linking project. Moreover, a larger number of quenched martensitic high-tension steel plates (HT670 and HT780) were used for the Yojima Bridge together with existing SM400, SM490, SM520, and SM570 steel plates. The lately built Akashi Kaikyo Ohashi Bridge that is 1990 m between struts is longest in the world. The newly developed steel plate (HT780) for a bridge girder of which weldability was improved for lightening was used actually. To reduce the welding cost or improve the welding environment, this steel plate decreased the preheating temperature for weld cracking prevention in a heat-affected zone from about 100degC to 50degC or less. A new wire (of 1800Mpa in tensile strength) was also used for a cable. In future, the bridge girder will be economically and rationally manufactured by the development of design and construction methods that fully draw the characteristics of the new steel. 33 refs., 9 figs., 2 tabs.

On November 18,2011,construction started for the specialty paper ＆ coated paper industrial base project of Guanhao High-tech Co.,Ltd.in Zhanjiang Development Zone.The total investment planned for the project is RMB 7.6 billion.After completing the construction and putting into production,

The increase of power plant capacity has led to the production of an increasing amount of fly ash that causes high environmental impact in Turkey. Some of the fly ash is utilized within the fired brick industry but high sulfate-containing fly ash creates severe problems during sintering of the fired brick. This study attempted to investigate the potential for converting high sulfate-containing fly ash into useful material for the construction industry by the addition of boric acid. The chemical and mineralogical composition of fly ash and clay were investigated. Boric acid (H(3)BO(3)) was added to fly ash-clay mixtures with up to 5 wt.%. Six different series of test samples were produced by uniaxial pressing. The samples were fired at the industrial clay-brick firing temperatures of 800, 900 and 1000 degrees C. The microstructures of the fired samples were investigated by scanning electron microscopy and some physical and mechanical properties were measured. It was concluded that the firing at conventional brick firing temperature of high sulfate fly ash without any addition of boric acid resulted in very weak strength bricks. The addition of boric acid and clay simultaneously to the high sulfate- containing fly ash brick dramatically increased the compressive strength of the samples at a firing temperature of 1000 degrees C by modifying the sintering behaviour of high sulfate fly ash.

The EEE Project, conceived by its leader Antonino Zichichi, aims to detect Extreme Energy Events of cosmic rays with an array of muon telescopes distributed over the Italian territory. The Project involves Italian High Schools in order to introduce young people to Physics, also countervailing the recent crisis of university scientific classes inscriptions. The detectors for the EEE telescopes are Multigap Resistive Plate Chambers (MRPC) and have been constructed by teams of High School students who went in shift at the CERN laboratories. The mechanics and the electronics were developed by groups of researchers from CERN, the Italian Centro Fermi and INFN. The first group of schools of the EEE Project has inaugurated their telescopes recently. A status report of the Project and the preliminary results are presented.

The number of accidental falls has been increasing among the elderly as society has aged. The main factor is a deteriorating center of balance due to declining physical performance. Another major factor is that the elderly tend to have bowlegged walking and their center of gravity position of the body tend to swing from side to side during walking. To find ways to counteract falls among the elderly, we developed walking training system to treat the gap in the center of balance. We also designed High-Performance Shoes that showed the status of a person's balance while walking. We also produced walk assistance from the insole in which insole stiffness corresponded to human sole distribution could be changed to correct the person's walking status. We constructed our High- Performances Shoes to detect pressure distribution during walking. Comparing normal sole distribution patterns and corrected ones, we confirmed that our assistance system helped change the user's posture, thereby reducing falls among the elderly.

In this article,the features of design and cionstruction of Qinhuangdao-Shenyang passenger special line in railroad foundation,tracks,and bridges are described as the reference in high-speed railway construction.

In order to perform the studies on a pulsed beam generation system based on a high intensity cyclotron, a test beam line with a pulsed beam generation for a 10 MeV compact cyclotron (CYCIAE-10) has been designed and constructed at China Institute of Atomic Energy (CIAE). A 70 MHz continuous H- beam can be pulsed to the pulse length of less than 10 ns with a repetition rate of 4.4 MHz. The sine waveform with a frequency of 2.2 MHz is adopted for the chopper and a mesh structure with single drift and dual gaps is used for the 70 MHz buncher. A helical resonator is designed and constructed based on simulations and experiments on the RF matching for the chopper. A helical inductance loop that is exceptionally large of its kind and equipped with water cooling for the resonator has been successfully wound and a 500 W solid RF amplifier has been manufactured. A special measuring device has been designed, which can be used to measure both the DC beam and the pulsed beam. The required pulsed beam was obtained after pulsed beam tuning.

A constructed wetroof (CWR) is defined in this study as the combination of a green roof and a constructed wetland: a shallow wastewater treatment system placed on the roof of a building. The foremost challenge of such CWRs, and the main aim of this investigation, is the selection of an appropriate matrix capable of assuring the required hydraulic retention time, the long-term stability and the roof load-bearing capacity. Six substrata were subjected to water dynamics and destructive tests in two testing-tables. Among all the materials tested, the substratum configuration composed of sand, light expanded clay aggregates, biodegradable polylactic acid beads together with stabilization plates and a turf mat is capable of retaining the water for approximately 3.8 days and of providing stability (stabilization plates) and an immediate protection (turf mat) to the system. Based on those results, a full-scale CWR was built, which did not show any physical deterioration after 1 year of operation. Preliminary wastewater treatment results on the full-scale CWR suggest that it can highly remove main wastewater pollutants (e.g. chemical oxygen demand, PO4(3-)-P and NH4(+)-N). The results of these tests and practical design considerations of the CWR are discussed in this paper.

Accidents involving falls and falling objects (group I) are highly frequent accidents in the construction industry. While being hit by a vehicle, electric shock, collapse in the excavation and fire or explosion accidents (group II) are much less frequent, they make up a considerable proportion of severe accidents. In this study, multiple-correspondence analysis, decision tree, ensembles of decision tree and association rules methods are employed to analyse a database of construction accidents throughout Iran between 2007 and 2011. The findings indicate that in group I, there is a significant correspondence among these variables: time of accident, place of accident, body part affected, final consequence of accident and lost workdays. Moreover, the frequency of accidents in the night shift is less than others, and the frequency of injury to the head, back, spine and limbs are more. In group II, the variables time of accident and body part affected are mostly related and the frequency of accidents among married and older workers is more than single and young workers. There was a higher frequency in the evening, night shifts and weekends. The results of this study are totally in line with the previous research.

Within the field of tissue engineering there is an emphasis on studying 3-D live tissue structures. Consequently, to investigate and identify cellular activities and phenotypes in a 3-D environment for all in vitro experiments, including shape, migration/proliferation and axon projection, it is necessary to adopt an optical imaging system that enables monitoring 3-D cellular activities and morphology through the thickness of the construct for an extended culture period without cell labeling. This paper describes a new 3-D tracking algorithm developed for Cell-IQ®, an automated cell imaging platform, which has been equipped with an environmental chamber optimized to enable capturing time-lapse sequences of live cell images over a long-term period without cell labeling. As an integral part of the algorithm, a novel auto-focusing procedure was developed for phase contrast microscopy equipped with 20x and 40x objectives, to provide a more accurate estimation of cell growth/trajectories by allowing 3-D voxels to be computed at high spatiotemporal resolution and cell density. A pilot study was carried out in a phantom system consisting of horizontally aligned nanofiber layers (with precise spacing between them), to mimic features well exemplified in cellular activities of neuronal growth in a 3-D environment. This was followed by detailed investigations concerning axonal projections and dendritic circuitry formation in a 3-D tissue engineering construct. Preliminary work on primary animal neuronal cells in response to chemoattractant and topographic cue within the scaffolds has produced encouraging results.

Two new organic building units that contain dicarboxylate sites for their self-assembly with paddlewheel [Cu2(CO2)4] units have been successfully developed to construct two isoreticular porous metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), ZJU-35 and ZJU-36, which have the same tbo topologies (Reticular Chemistry Structure Resource (RCSR) symbol) as HKUST-1. Because the organic linkers in ZJU-35 and ZJU-36 are systematically enlarged, the pores in these two new porous MOFs vary from 10.8 Å in HKUST-1 to 14.4 Å in ZJU-35 and 16.5 Å in ZJU-36, thus leading to their higher porosities with Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface areas of 2899 and 4014 m(2) g(-1) for ZJU-35 and ZJU-36, respectively. High-pressure gas-sorption isotherms indicate that both ZJU-35 and ZJU-36 can take up large amounts of CH4 and CO2, and are among the few porous MOFs with the highest volumetric storage of CH4 under 60 bar and CO2 under 30 bar at room temperature. Their potential for high-pressure swing adsorption (PSA) hydrogen purification was also preliminarily examined and compared with several reported MOFs, thus indicating the potential of ZJU-35 and ZJU-36 for this important application. Studies show that most of the highly porous MOFs that can volumetrically take up the greatest amount of CH4 under 60 bar and CO2 under 30 bar at room temperature are those self-assembled from organic tetra- and hexacarboxylates that contain m-benzenedicarboxylate units with the [Cu2(CO2)4] units, because this series of MOFs can have balanced porosities, suitable pores, and framework densities to optimize their volumetric gas storage. The realization of the two new organic building units for their construction of highly porous MOFs through their self-assembly with [Cu2(CO2)4] units has provided great promise for the exploration of a large number of new tetra- and hexacarboxylate organic linkers based on these new organic building units in which different aromatic backbones can be readily incorporated

Adequate characterization of labile organic carbon (LOC) is essential to the understanding of C cycling in soil. There has been very little evaluation about the nature of LOC characterizations in coastal wetlands, where soils are constantly influenced by different redox fluctuations and salt water intrusions. In this study, we characterized and compared LOC fractions in coastal wetland soils of the Mississippi River deltaic plain using four different methods including 1) aerobically mineralizable C (AMC), 2) cold water extractable C (CWEC), 3) hot water extractable C (HWEC), and 4) salt extractable C (SEC), as well as acid hydrolysable C (AHC) which includes both labile and slowly degradable organic C. Molecular organic C functional groups of these wetland soils were characterized by {sup 13}C solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The LOC and AHC increased with soil organic C (SOC) regardless of wetland soil type. The LOC estimates by four different methods were positively and significantly linearly related to each other (R{sup 2} = 0.62-0.84) and with AHC (R{sup 2} = 0.47-0.71). The various LOC fractions accounted for {<=} 4.3% of SOC whereas AHC fraction represented 16-49% of SOC. AMC was influenced positively by O/N-alkyl and carboxyl C but negatively by alkyl C, whereas CWEC and SEC fractions were influenced only positively by carboxyl C but negatively by alkyl C in SOC. On the other hand, HWEC fraction was found to be only influenced positively by carbonyl C, and AHC positively by O/N-alkyl and alkyl C but negatively by aromatic C groups in SOC. Overall these relations suggested different contributions of various molecular organic C moieties to LOC in these wetlands from those often found for upland soils. The presence of more than 50% non-acid hydrolysable C suggested the dominance of relatively stable SOC pool that would be sequestered in these Mississippi River deltaic plain coastal wetland soils. The results have important implications to the

The Buntsandstein in the Northern Vosges (France) originates mainly in an inland braidplain fluvial environment which passes in the upper part of the sequence into deltaic milieu in the coastal plain along the border of the sea, with the continental environment finally being drowned with the transgression of the shallow sea. The fluvial sedimentation is characterized by the presence of two facies throughout the Buntsandstein : channel facies and overbank plain facies. The channel facies comprises sandy and conglomeratic deposits forming within active streams by strong currents, whereas the overbank plain facies is built up of silty-clayey sandstones or silt/clay originating in stagnant water in abandoned watercourses, ponds, pools and puddles. The significance of particularly the floodplain sediments is subjected to considerable changes throughout the Buntsandstein sequence. There are all stages of transition between overbank plain deposits being only preserved in ghost-like facies as reworked clasts due to effective secondary removal of primarily occasionally formed suspension fines, and an abundance of autochthonous floodplain sediments in the depositional record resulting from favourable conditions of primary origin and secondary preservation. Reworked ventifacts within fluvial channel sediments testify to subordinate aeolian influences in the alluvial plain, with reasonable reworking, however, having removed all in situ traces of wind activity. Declining aridity of palaeoclimate towards the top is indicated by the appearance of violet horizon palaeosols in the Zone-Limite-Violette and the Couches intermédiaires being accompanied by Bröckelbank carbonate breccias originating from concentration of reworked fragments of pedogenic carbonate nodules. Biogenic traces are in the lower part of the sequence mainly present as Planolites burrows in the finer-grained sediments. Palaeosalinities as revealed from boron contents indicate progressively increasing

In the process of beer storage and transportation, off-flavor can be produced for oxidation of beer. Sulphite is important for stabilizing the beer flavor because of its antioxidant activity. However, the low level of sulphite synthesized by the brewing yeast is not enough to stabilize beer flavor. Three enzymes involve sulphite biosynthesis in yeast. One of them, APS kinase (encoded by MET14) plays important role in the process of sulphite formation. In order to constructhigh sulphite-producing brewing yeast strain for beer production, MET14 gene was cloned and overexpressed in industrial strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Primer 1 (5'-TGTGAATTCCTGTACACCAATGGCTACT-3', EcoR I) and primer 2 (5'-TATAAGCTTGATGA GGTGGATGAAGACG-3', HindIII) were designed according to the MET14 sequence in GenBank. A 1.1kb DNA fragment containing the open reading frame and terminator of MET14 gene was amplified from Saccharomyces cerevisiae YSF-5 by PCR, and inserted into YEp352 to generate recombinant plasmid pMET14. To express MET14 gene properly in S. cerevisiae, the recombinant expression plasmids pPM with URA3 gene as the selection marker and pCPM with URA3 gene and copper resistance gene as the selection marker for yeast transformation were constructed. In plasmid pPM, the PGK1 promoter from plasmid pVC727 was fused with the MET14 gene from pMET14, and the expression cassette was inserted into the plasmid YEp352. The dominant selection marker, copper-resistance gene expression cassette CUP1-MTI was inserted in plasmid pPM to result in pCPM. Restriction enzyme analysis showed that plasmids pPM and pCPM were constructed correctly. The laboratory strain of S. cerevisiae YS58 with ura3, trp1, leu2, his4 auxotroph was transformed with plasmid pPM. Yeast transformants were screened on synthetic minimal medium (SD) containing leucine, histidine and tryptophan. The sulphite production of the transformants carrying pPM was 2 fold of that in the control strain YS58, which showed that the

Creep tests under at a certain temperature and different stress levels were performed on two carbon constructional quality steels at a certain stress level and different temperatures,and their creep curves at high temperature were obtained based on analyzing the testing data.Taking 45 steel at a certain temperature and stress as the example,the integral creep constitutive equation and the differential stress-strain constitutive relationship were established based on the relevant rheological model,and the integral core function was also obtained.Simultaneously,the viscous coefficients denoting the viscous behavior in visco-plastic constitutive equation were determined by taking use of the creep testing data.Then the viscous coefficients of three carbon steels(20 steel,35 steel and 45 steel) were compared and analyzed.The results show that the viscosity is different due to different materials at the same temperature and stress.

High rate algal pond (HRAP) was combined with constructed wetland (CW) to intensify nitrogen removal through optimizing nitrification and denitrification. Nitrification and denitrification process mainly depends on the oxygen content and carbon source level in CWs. Algal biomass was enriched in HRAP, and dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration was increased via photosynthesis. Algal debris increased COD as degradable bioresource. The results showed that HRAP-CW hybrid systems effectively promoted the nitrogen removal performance due to rich DO and COD. The extension of hydraulic retention time in HRAP significantly improved NH4-N and TN removals by 10.9% and 11.1% in hybrid systems, respectively. The highest NH4-N and TN removals in hybrid systems respectively reached 67.2% and 63.5%, which were significantly higher than those in single CW. The study suggested that the hybrid system had the application potentials in nitrogen removal from wastewater.

Full Text Available The Human Immunodeficiency Virus type 1 (HIV-1 subtype C is currently the predominant subtype worldwide. Cell culture studies of Sub-Saharan African subtype C proviral plasmids are hampered by the low replication capacity of the resulting viruses, although viral loads in subtype C infected patients are as high as those from patients with subtype B. Here, we describe the sequencing and construction of a new HIV-1 subtype C proviral clone (pZAC, replicating more than one order of magnitude better than the previous subtype C plasmids. We identify the env-region for being the determinant for the higher viral titers and the pZAC Env to be M-tropic. This higher replication capacity does not lead to a higher cytotoxicity compared to previously described subtype C viruses. In addition, the pZAC Vpu is also shown to be able to down-regulate CD4, but fails to fully counteract CD317.

Adequate characterization of labile organic carbon (LOC) is essential to the understanding of C cycling in soil. There has been very little evaluation about the nature of LOC characterizations in coastal wetlands, where soils are constantly influenced by different redox fluctuations and salt water intrusions. In this study, we characterized and compared LOC fractions in coastal wetland soils of the Mississippi River deltaic plain using four different methods including 1) aerobically mineralizable C (AMC), 2) cold water extractable C (CWEC), 3) hot water extractable C (HWEC), and 4) salt extractable C (SEC), as well as acid hydrolysable C (AHC) which includes both labile and slowly degradable organic C. Molecular organic C functional groups of these wetland soils were characterized by (13)C solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The LOC and AHC increased with soil organic C (SOC) regardless of wetland soil type. The LOC estimates by four different methods were positively and significantly linearly related to each other (R(2)=0.62-0.84) and with AHC (R(2)=0.47-0.71). The various LOC fractions accounted for ≤4.3% of SOC whereas AHC fraction represented 16-49% of SOC. AMC was influenced positively by O/N-alkyl and carboxyl C but negatively by alkyl C, whereas CWEC and SEC fractions were influenced only positively by carboxyl C but negatively by alkyl C in SOC. On the other hand, HWEC fraction was found to be only influenced positively by carbonyl C, and AHC positively by O/N-alkyl and alkyl C but negatively by aromatic C groups in SOC. Overall these relations suggested different contributions of various molecular organic C moieties to LOC in these wetlands from those often found for upland soils. The presence of more than 50% non-acid hydrolysable C suggested the dominance of relatively stable SOC pool that would be sequestered in these Mississippi River deltaic plain coastal wetland soils. The results have important implications to the understanding of the

High-R wall assemblies (R-40 and above) are gaining popularity in the market due to programs like the DOE's Zero Energy Ready Home program, Passive House (PH), Net Zero Energy Home (NZEH) challenges in several states, and highly incentivized retrofit programs. In response to this demand, several builders have successfully used 'double wall' systems to more practically achieve higher R-values in thicker, framed walls. To builders of conventional stick-framed homes, often one of the most appealing features of double wall systems is that there are very few new exterior details. Exterior sheathing, structural bracing, house wrap or building paper, window and door flashing, and siding attachment are usually identical to good details in conventional framed wall systems. The information presented in this guide is intended to reduce the risk of failure in these types of assemblies, increase durability, and result in a reduction of material brought to landfills due to failures and resulting decay. While this document focuses on double wall framing techniques, the majority of the information on how to properly construct and finish high R-value assemblies is applicable to all wall assemblies that do not have foam insulation installed on the exterior of the structural sheathing. The techniques presented have been shown through field studies to reduce the likelihood of mold growth and moisture related damage and are intended for builders, framing contractors, architects, and consultants involved in designing and building super insulated homes.

A complete scheme for solving the key scientific problems associated with high-standard,high-intensity continuous construction of high arch dams was presented. First,based on a coupling analysis of construction system decomposition and coordination for a high arc dam,a mathematical model for real-time control of construction quality and progress that considers complex constraints was developed. Second,a method of progress control was proposed based on a dynamic simulation. Third,a dynamic quality control mechanism was established based on construction information collected using a PDA. Fourth,a system for integrating collected information,progress simulation and quality control analyses under a network environment was developed. Finally,these methods were applied to a practical project to show that each aspect of a construction process can be managed effectively and that real-time monitoring and feedback control can be realized. Our methods provide new theoretical principles and technical measures for quality and progress control in the high arc dam construction process.

This report focuses on transmission lines, which operate at voltages of 115 kV and higher. Currently, the highest voltage lines comprising the North American power grid are at 765 kV. The grid is the network of transmission lines that interconnect most large power plants on the North American continent. One transmission line at this high voltage was built near Chicago as part of the interconnection for three large nuclear power plants southwest of the city. Lines at this voltage also serve markets in New York and New England, also very high demand regions. The large power transfers along the West Coast are generally at 230 or 500 kV. Just as there are practical limits to centralization of power production, there are practical limits to increasing line voltage. As voltage increases, the height of the supporting towers, the size of the insulators, the distance between conductors on a tower, and even the width of the right-of-way (ROW) required increase. These design features safely isolate the electric power, which has an increasing tendency to arc to ground as the voltage (or electrical potential) increases. In addition, very high voltages (345 kV and above) are subject to corona losses. These losses are a result of ionization of the atmosphere, and can amount to several megawatts of wasted power. Furthermore, they are a local nuisance to radio transmission and can produce a noticeable hum. Centralized power production has advantages of economies of scale and special resource availability (for instance, hydro resources), but centralized power requires long-distance transfers of power both to reach customers and to provide interconnections for reliability. Long distances are most economically served at high voltages, which require large-scale equipment and impose a substantial footprint on the corridors through which power passes. The most visible components of the transmission system are the conductors that provide paths for the power and the towers that keep these

High R-value wall assemblies (R-40 and above) are gaining popularity in the market due to programs such as the U.S. Department of Energy Zero Energy Ready Home program, Passive House, Net Zero Energy Home challenges in several states, and highly incentivized retrofit programs. In response to this demand, several builders have successfully used double-wall systems to achieve higher R-values in thicker, framed walls. To builders of conventional stick-framed homes, often one of the most appealing features of double-wall systems is that there are very few new exterior details. Exterior sheathings, structural bracings, house wraps or building paper, window and door flashings, and siding attachments are usually identical to good details in conventional framed-wall systems. However, although the details in double-wall systems are very similar to those in conventional stick framing, there is sometimes less room for error. Several studies have confirmed colder temperatures of exterior sheathing in high R-value wall assemblies that do not have exterior rigid foam insulation. These colder temperatures can lead to increased chances for condensation from air exfiltration, and they have the potential to result in moisture-related problems (Straube and Smegal 2009, Arena 2014, Ueno 2015). The information presented in this guide is intended to reduce the risk of failure in these types of assemblies, increase durability, and reduce material brought to landfills due to failures and resulting decay. Although this document focuses on double-wall framing techniques, the majority of the information about how to properly construct and finish high R-value assemblies is applicable to all wall assemblies that do not have foam insulation installed on the exterior of the structural sheathing. The techniques presented have been shown through field studies to reduce the likelihood of mold growth and moisture-related damage and are intended for builders, framing contractors, architects, and

There is a need in the United States for a state-of-the-art, cold-neutron, crystal backscattering spectrometer (CBS) designed to investigate the structure and dynamics of condensed matter systems by the simultaneous utilization of long wavelength elastic diffraction and high-energy-resolution inelastic scattering. Cold neutron spectroscopy with CBS-type instruments has already made many important contributions to the study of atomic and molecular diffusion in biomaterials, polymers, semiconductors, liquid crystals, superionic conductors and the like. Such instruments have also been invaluable for ultra high resolution investigations of the low-lying quantum tunneling processes that provide direct insight into the dynamical response of solids at the lowest energies. Until relatively recently, however, all such instruments were located at steady-state reactors. This proposal describes HERMES I (High Energy Resolution Machines I) a CBS intended for installation at the LANSCE pulsed neutron facility of Los Alamos National Laboratory. As explained in detail in the main text, the authors propose to construct an updated, high-performance CBS which incorporates neutron techniques developed during the decade since IRIS was built, i.e., improved supermirror technology, a larger area crystal analyzer and high efficiency wire gas detectors. The instrument is designed in such a way as to be readily adaptable to future upgrades. HERMES I, they believe, will substantially expand the range and flexibility of neutron investigations in the United States and open new and potentially fruitful directions for condensed matter exploration. This document describes a implementation plan with a direct cost range between $4.5 to 5.6 M and scheduled duration of 39--45 months for identified alternatives.

In neuroimaging, cortical surface atlases play a fundamental role for spatial normalization, analysis, visualization, and comparison of results across individuals and different studies. However, existing cortical surface atlases created for adults are not suitable for infant brains during the first two postnatal years, which is the most dynamic period of postnatal structural and functional development of the highly-folded cerebral cortex. Therefore, spatiotemporal cortical surface atlases for infant brains are highly desired yet still lacking for accurate mapping of early dynamic brain development. To bridge this significant gap, leveraging our infant-dedicated computational pipeline for cortical surface-based analysis and the unique longitudinal infant MRI dataset acquired in our research center, in this paper, we construct the first spatiotemporal (4D) high-definition cortical surface atlases for the dynamic developing infant cortical structures at seven time points, including 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, and 24 months of age, based on 202 serial MRI scans from 35 healthy infants. For this purpose, we develop a novel method to ensure the longitudinal consistency and unbiasedness to any specific subject and age in our 4D infant cortical surface atlases. Specifically, we first compute the within-subject mean cortical folding by unbiased groupwise registration of longitudinal cortical surfaces of each infant. Then we establish longitudinally-consistent and unbiased inter-subject cortical correspondences by groupwise registration of the geometric features of within-subject mean cortical folding across all infants. Our 4D surface atlases capture both longitudinally-consistent dynamic mean shape changes and the individual variability of cortical folding during early brain development. Experimental results on two independent infant MRI datasets show that using our 4D infant cortical surface atlases as templates leads to significantly improved accuracy for spatial normalization

The Oklahoma Geological Survey (OGS), the Geo Information Systems department, and the School of Petroleum and Geological Engineering at the University of Oklahoma have engaged in a five-year program to identify and address Oklahoma`s oil recovery opportunities in fluvial-dominated deltaic (FDD) reservoirs. This program included a systematic and comprehensive collection and evaluation of information on all FDD oil reservoirs in Oklahoma and the recovery technologies that have been (or could be) applied to those reservoirs with commercial success. The execution of this project was approached in phases. The first phase began in January, 1993 and consisted of planning, play identification and analysis, data acquisition, database development, and computer systems design. By the middle of 1994, many of these tasks were completed or nearly finished including the identification of all FDD reservoirs in Oklahoma, data collection, and defining play boundaries. By early 1995, a preliminary workshop schedule had been developed for project implementation and technology transfer activities. Later in 1995, the play workshop and publication series was initiated with the Morrow and the Booch plays. Concurrent with the initiation of the workshop series was the opening of a computer user lab that was developed for use by the petroleum industry. Industry response to the facility initially was slow, but after the first year lab usage began to increase and is sustaining. The remaining six play workshops were completed through 1996 and 1997, with the project ending on December 31, 1997.

BP Exploration`s Gulf of Mexico group developed procedures to conduct effective well tests on conventional production wells and employed them during the development drilling phase of the Mississippi Canyon 109 (MC109) field. Bottomhole pressure data were recorded during the initial few weeks of production. Typically, a 48 hour pressure buildup survey (surface shut-in) was obtained near the end of data acquisition. Data from these tests were analyzed for completion efficiency, reservoir flow capacity, reservoir heterogeneities, and drainage area. Initially wells were gravel packed for sand control, until buildup interpretations indicated skins greater than 20. Frac packing technology was then employed, and an immediate improvement was observed with skins dropping into the teens. Over a period of time frac packs were optimized using the test derived skins as a metric. Analysis of pressure data also played an important role in identifying reservoir compartmentalization. The two major reservoir horizons at MC 109 are interpreted as shelf margin deltas. However, each of these has distinctly different compartmentalization issues. The continuous character of the G Sand made it easier to define the depositional system and investigate reservoir compartmentalization issues using a combination of well log, 3D seismic, static pressure trends, and fluid information. In the more distal deltaic reservoirs of the J Sand however, complications with seismic amplitudes and a less reliable tie between wireline and seismic data required the use of pressure transient analysis to efficiently exploit the reservoir.

We use electrical resistivity data arrayed in a 2715 km2 region with 30 locations to identify the saline water intrusion zone in part of Cauvery deltaic region, offshore Eastern India. From this dataset we are able to derive information on groundwater quality, thickness of aquifer zone, structural and stratigraphic conditions relevant to groundwater conditions, and permeability of aquifer systems. A total of 30 vertical electrode soundings (VES) were carried out by Schlumberger electrode arrangement to indicate complete lithology of this region using curve matching techniques. The electrical soundings exhibited that H and HK type curves were suitable for 16 shallow locations, and QH, KQ, K, KH, QQ, and HA curves were fit for other location. Low resistivity values suggested that saline water intrusion occurred in this region. According to final GIS map, most of the region was severely affected by seawater intrusion due to the use of over-exploitation of groundwater.The deteriorated groundwater resources in this coastal region should raise environmental and health concerns.

Slag from the high temperature arc gasification (HTAG) of municipal solid waste (MSW) was tested to evaluate its material properties with respect to use as a construction aggregate. These data were compared to previously compiled values for waste to energy bottom ash, the most commonly produced and beneficially used thermal treatment residue. The slag was tested using gradations representative of a base course and a course aggregate. Los Angeles (LA) abrasion testing demonstrated that the HTAG slag had a high resistance to fracture with a measured LA loss of 24%. Soundness testing indicated a low potential for reactivity and good weathering resistance with a mean soundness loss of 3.14%. The modified Proctor compaction testing found the slag to possess a maximum dry density (24.04kN/m(3)) greater than conventionally used aggregates and WTE BA. The LBR tests demonstrated a substantial bearing capacity (>200). Mineralogical analysis of the HTAG suggested the potential for self cementing character which supports the elevated LBR results. Preliminary material characterization of the HTAG slag establishes potential for beneficial use; larger and longer term studies focusing on the material's possibility for swelling and performance at the field scale level are needed.

A magnetic enzyme nanosystem have been designed and constructed by a polydopamine (PDA)-modification strategy. The magnetic enzyme nanosystem has well defined core-shell structure and a relatively high saturation magnetization (Ms) value of 48.3 emu g−1. The magnetic enzyme system can realize rapid, efficient and reusable tryptic digestion of proteins by taking advantage of its magnetic core and biofunctional shell. Various standard proteins (e.g. cytochrome C (Cyt-C), myoglobin (MYO) and bovine serum albumin (BSA)) have been used to evaluate the effectiveness of the magnetic enzyme nanosystem. The results show that the magnetic enzyme nanosystem can digest the proteins in 30 minutes, and the results are comparable to conventional 12 hours in-solution digestion. Furthermore, the magnetic enzyme nanosystem is also effective in the digestion of low-concentration proteins, even at as low as 5 ng μL−1 substrate concentration. Importantly, the system can be reused several times, and has excellent stability for storage. Therefore, this work will be highly beneficial for the rapid digestion and identification of proteins in future proteomics. PMID:25374397

As the hardware trends for artificial intelligence (AI) involve more and more complexity, the process of optimizing the computer system design for a particular problem will also increase in complexity. Space applications of knowledge based systems (KBS) will often require an ability to perform both numerically intensive vector computations and real time symbolic computations. Although parallel machines can theoretically achieve the speeds necessary for most of these problems, if the application itself is not highly parallel, the machine's power cannot be utilized. A scheme is presented which will provide the computer systems engineer with a tool for analyzing machines with various configurations of array, symbolic, scaler, and multiprocessors. High speed networks and interconnections make customized, distributed, intelligent systems feasible for the application of AI in space. The method presented can be used to optimize such AI system configurations and to make comparisons between existing computer systems. It is an open question whether or not, for a given mission requirement, a suitable computer system design can be constructed for any amount of money.

The objective of this research was to construct organisational innovation dimensions and the associated evaluation index for Taiwan's high-tech industries, in order to evaluate Taiwan's current level of ability in this area, and provide a guideline for businesses. In addition, an organisational innovation model was also constructed to serve as a basis for innovation theory. The research methods employed included a literature review, in-depth interviews and small group techniques, which were u...

The investigation aims in this study were to uncover the observations of infrastructures and physics laboratory in vocational high school for Stone and Concrete Construction Techniques Expertise Field or Teknik Konstruksi Batu dan Beton (TKBB)'s in Purwokerto Central Java Province, mapping the Vocational High School or Sekolah Menengah Kejuruan…

Construction and demolition waste continues to sharply increase in step with the economic growth of less developed countries. Though the construction industry is large, it is composed of small firms with individual waste management practices, often leading to the deleterious environmental outcomes. Quantifying construction and demolition waste generation allows policy makers and stakeholders to understand the true internal and external costs of construction, providing a necessary foundation for waste management planning that may overcome deleterious environmental outcomes and may be both economically and environmentally optimal. This study offers a theoretical method for estimating the construction and demolition project waste generation rate by utilising available data, including waste disposal truck size and number, and waste volume and composition. This method is proposed as a less burdensome and more broadly applicable alternative, in contrast to waste estimation by on-site hand sorting and weighing. The developed method is applied to 11 projects across Malaysia as the case study. This study quantifies waste generation rate and illustrates the construction method in influencing the waste generation rate, estimating that the conventional construction method has a waste generation rate of 9.88 t 100 m(-2), the mixed-construction method has a waste generation rate of 3.29 t 100 m(-2), and demolition projects have a waste generation rate of 104.28 t 100 m(-2).

Combining with high-rise building status,the article concludes the high-rise building construction features,describes the high-rise building construction technologies from four aspects of foundation construction,prefabricated board construction,steel structure construction and high-rise building pumping concrete techniques,with a view to improve the high-rise building construction efficiency.%结合高层建筑的现状，对高层建筑结构施工的特点进行了总结，从地基施工、预制模板施工、钢结构施工、高层建筑泵送混凝土技术四方面阐明了高层建筑的施工技术，以提高高层建筑的施工效率。

Predicting the distribution of favorable reservoir and evolution of ancient deltaic successions requires the evaluation of the depositional processes and its vertical architecture based on sedimentary facies analysis. This has been applied to a core-based subsurface facies analysis of a deltaic succession in the early to late Palaeogene of Baxian Sag, Bohaiwan Basin, East China. Evolution of three genetically successions with a total thickness of 1000-4000m comprising three depositional systems including fan delta, braid delta and shallow water delta record initial rift phase, rapid rift phase and post rift phase. The initial rift phase consist of several coarsening upward successions, which are mainly conglomerate, pebbly sandstone and coarse sandstone that deposited from root segment, middle segment to front segment of fan delta. The rapid rift phase consist of several fining upward successions developed individual or associated with coarsening upward successions, the former one mainly developed as fluvial-dominated channel fills in deltaic plain and delta front, and the latter one mainly developed in the intersection of distributary channel fill and mouth bar, mainly dominated by wave and influenced by fluvial, with the feature of fine grained sandstone. The post rift phase consist of fining upward successions, interpreted as fluvial-dominated coarse-grained distributary channel fills, and coarsening upward successions, interpreted as wave dominated, fluvial influenced fine-grained sandstone in mouth bar. Delta plain occupied more than 70% of the development area of delta, with features of large-scale cross-bedding, massive bedding. The fan-deltaic to braid-deltaic evolution is represented by an overall upward increase in the distance of progradation, decrease in grain size and increase in wave influence. The following evolution to shallow water delta is represented by an overall upward increase in aggradational succession developed, decrease in paleoslope angle

Full Text Available In this work the design aspects of a piezoelectric-based resonance ceramic pressure sensor made using low-temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC technology and designed for high-temperature applications is presented. The basic pressure-sensor structure consists of a circular, edge-clamped, deformable diaphragm that is bonded to a ring, which is part of the rigid ceramic structure. The resonance pressure sensor has an additional element – a piezoelectric actuator – for stimulating oscillation of the diaphragm in the resonance-frequency mode. The natural resonance frequency is dependent on the diaphragm construction (i.e., its materials and geometry and on the actuator. This resonance frequency then changes due to the static deflection of the diaphragm caused by the applied pressure. The frequency shift is used as the output signal of the piezoelectric resonance pressure sensor and makes it possible to measure the static pressure. The characteristics of the pressure sensor also depend on the temperature, i.e., the temperature affects both the ceramic structure (its material and geometry and the properties of the actuator. This work is focused on the ceramic structure, while the actuator will be investigated later.

Full Text Available We propose a smart medication dispenser having a high degree of scalability and remote manageability. We construct the dispenser to have extensible hardware architecture for achieving scalability, and we install an agent program in it for achieving remote manageability. The dispenser operates as follows: when the real-time clock reaches the predetermined medication time and the user presses the dispense button at that time, the predetermined medication is dispensed from the medication dispensing tray (MDT. In the proposed dispenser, the medication for each patient is stored in an MDT. One smart medication dispenser contains mainly one MDT; however, the dispenser can be extended to include more MDTs in order to support multiple users using one dispenser. For remote management, the proposed dispenser transmits the medication status and the system configurations to the monitoring server. In the case of a specific event such as a shortage of medication, memory overload, software error, or non-adherence, the event is transmitted immediately. All these operations are performed automatically without the intervention of patients, through the agent program installed in the dispenser. Results of implementation and verification show that the proposed dispenser operates normally and performs the management operations from the medication monitoring server suitably.

We complete the reformulation of the holographic correspondence as a \\emph{highly efficient RG flow} that can also determine the UV data in the field theory in the strong coupling and large $N$ limit. We introduce a special way to define operators at any given scale in terms of appropriate coarse-grained collective variables, without requiring the use of the elementary fields. The Wilsonian construction is generalised by promoting the cut-off to a functional of these collective variables. We impose three criteria to determine the coarse-graining. The first criterion is that the effective Ward identities for local conservation of energy, momentum, etc. should preserve their standard forms, but in new scale-dependent background metric and sources which are functionals of the effective single trace operators. The second criterion is that the scale-evolution equations of the operators in the actual background metric should be state-independent, implying that the collective variables should not explicitly appear i...

To satisfy the diverse requirements of low reflection and high absorption of microwave attenuation, the construction of multiple heterojunction structure is imperative. On the one hand, the impedance mismatching could be ameliorated via the addition of new component; on the other hand, the multiple interface polarizations derived from the architecture of heterojunction make for the dissipation of microwave. In this work, the ternary TiO2/RGO/Fe2O3 composites exhibit tremendous superiority compared with single TiO2 or RGO no matter the absorption coefficient or effective bandwidth. The maximum absorption value of the TiO2/RGO/Fe2O3 composites is -44.05dB at 14.48GHz with a low thickness of 2.0mm. In addition, the effective bandwidth (RLimpedance matching as well as the multiple polarization effect. The results adequately demonstrate the accessibility of the prepared TiO2/RGO/Fe2O3 composites as a preeminent absorber.

Full Text Available Abstract Background The recent development of array based comparative genomic hybridization (CGH technology provides improved resolution for detection of genomic DNA copy number alterations. In array CGH, generating spotting solution is a multi-step process where bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC clones are converted to replenishable PCR amplified fragments pools (AFP for use as spotting solution in a microarray format on glass substrate. With completion of the human and mouse genome sequencing, large BAC clone sets providing complete genome coverage are available for construction of whole genome BAC arrays. Currently, Southern hybridization, fluorescent in-situ hybridization (FISH, and BAC end sequencing methods are commonly used to identify the initial BAC clone but not the end product used for spotting arrays. The AFP sequencing technique described in this study is a novel method designed to verify the identity of array spotting solution in a high throughput manner. Results We show here that Southern hybridization, FISH, and AFP sequencing can be used to verify the identity of final spotting solutions using less than 10% of the AFP product. Single pass AFP sequencing identified over half of the 960 AFPs analyzed. Moreover, using two vector primers approximately 90% of the AFP spotting solutions can be identified. Conclusions In this feasibility study we demonstrate that current methods for identifying initial BAC clones can be adapted to verify the identity of AFP spotting solutions used in printing arrays. Of these methods, AFP sequencing proves to be the most efficient for large scale identification of spotting solution in a high throughput manner.

Full Text Available A single span 50m long prestressed road bridge was constructed under Public Works Department in the State of Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia contract recently. The bridge was constructed at a small village, Kampung Linsum, crossing a river, Sungai Linggi. To date, this bridge is the Malaysia first and may also be the world longest composite road bridge which made from ultra-high performance ductile concrete (UHPdC. This paper presents the feature of the UHPdC precast girder; brief in-sight of the manufacturing of the girder; the construction sequence of the bridge; the design method and lastly the environmental impact calculation. The midspan deflections of the bridge at different construction history were compared against the collected field data and it showed that the calculated values generally agree well with the field data.

Enterprises. The cost control is of vital importance to the construction enterprises. It is the key to the profitability of the transmission line project, which is related to the survival and development of the electric power construction enterprises. Due to the long construction line, complex and changeable construction terrain as well as large construction costs of transmission line, it is difficult for us to take accurate and effective cost control on the project implementation of entire transmission line. Therefore, the cost control of transmission line project is a complicated and arduous task. It is of great theoretical and practical significance to study the cost control scheme of transmission line project by a more scientific and efficient way. Based on the characteristics of the construction project of the transmission line project, this paper analyzes the construction cost structure of the transmission line project and the current cost control problem of the transmission line project, and demonstrates the necessity and feasibility of studying the cost control scheme of the transmission line project more accurately. In this way, the dynamic cycle cost control process including plan, implementation, feedback, correction, modification and re-implement is achieved to realize the accurate and effective cost control of entire electric power transmission line project.

The High Resolution Stereo Camera has remarkable stereo capabilities and it allows three-dimensional analysis of Martian outcrops in cliffs and slopes in a way similar to the study of large terrestrial outcrops or seismic lines.

The project developed high-recycled-content concrete material with balanced structural and thermal attributes for use in energy-efficient building construction. Recycled plastics, tire, wool, steel and concrete were used as replacement for coarse aggregates in concrete and masonry production. With recycled materials the specific heat and thermal conductivity of concrete could be tailored to enhance the energy-efficiency of concrete buildings. A comprehensive field project was implemented which confirmed the benefits of high-recycled-content concrete for energy-efficient building construction.

A novel three-dimensional (3D) structure of reduced graphene oxide/polyaniline (rGO/PANI) hybrid films has been demonstrated for high-performance supercapacitors. Steamed water in closed vessels with high pressure and moderately high temperature is applied to facilely construct this structure. The as-designed rGO/PANI hybrid films exhibit a highest gravimetric specific capacitance of 1182 F g-1 at 1 A g-1 in the three-electrode test. The assembled symmetric device based on this structure shows both a high capacitance of 808 F g-1 at 1 A g-1 and a high gravimetric energy density (28.06 Wh kg-1 at a power density of 0.25 kW kg-1). Above all, this novel 3D structure constructed by steamed water regulation techniques shows excellent capacitance performance and holds a great promise for high-performance energy storage applications.

Building America/Builders Challenge fact sheet on Martha Rose Construction, an energy-efficient home builder in marine climate using the German Passiv Haus design, improved insulation, and solar photovoltaics.

Activity-based metagenomics is one of the most efficient approaches to boost the discovery of novel biocatalysts from the huge reservoir of uncultivated bacteria. In this chapter, we describe a highly generic procedure of metagenomic library construction and high-throughput screening for carbohydrate-active enzymes. Applicable to any bacterial ecosystem, it enables the swift identification of functional enzymes that are highly efficient, alone or acting in synergy, to break down polysaccharides and oligosaccharides.

Full Text Available Purpose. To develop an advanced methodology and formulate the measures concerning the definition of economic efficiency of high-speed movement organization taking into account the operating experience of rapid transportations in Ukraine, travel time, number of stops on the route, schedule and the demand for these transportations. Methodology. The economic feasibility for appropriateness of high-speed movement organization in Ukraine is an investment project, which involves step-by-step money investment to the construction. To solve such problems one uses net present value, which UZ or newly created companies can get during the project realization and after its completion. Findings. On the basis of obtained studies one can state that the methodology of complex determination of construction efficiency and high-speed passenger trains operation taking into account the cost of infrastructure, rolling stock, impact of environmental factors, etc. was developed in the article. Originality. We propose a scientific approach to determine the economic efficiency of the construction and high-speed main lines operation. This approach, unlike the existing one, includes the improved principles of determining the passenger traffic, the cost of high-speed mainline construction, the number of rolling stock; optimizes income and expenditure calculations in the context of competitive advantages and impact of the external factors on the company. For the first time it was taken into account the transit flow of passengers departing from CIS countries to the vacation in the Crimea, the Carpathians, Odessa and Lviv regions. The account of these factors increases the feasibility of administrative decisions concerning ensuring the efficiency of high-speed traffic functioning. Practical value. The proposed methodology and the research results allowed determining the construction reasonability of high-speed mainline for the passenger trains with a speed at least250 km/h in

The development, construction, and evaluation of low-cracking high-performance concrete (LC-HPC) bridge decks are described based on laboratory test results and experiences gained during the construction of 13 LC-HPC bridge decks in Kansas, along with another deck bid under the LC-HPC specifications but for which the owner did not enforce the specification. This study is divided into four parts covering (1) an evaluation of the free shrinkage properties of LC-HPC candidate mixtures, (2) an investigation of the relationship between the evaporable water content in the cement paste and the free shrinkage of concrete, (3) a study of the restrained shrinkage performance of concrete using restrained ring tests, and (4) a description of the construction and preliminary evaluation of LC-HPC and control bridge decks constructed in Kansas. The first portion of the study involves evaluating the effects of the duration of curing, fly ash, and a shrinkage reducing admixture (SRA) on the free-shrinkage characteristics of concrete mixtures. The results indicate that an increase of curing period reduces free shrinkage. With 7 days of curing, concretes containing fly ash as a partial replacement for cement exhibit higher free shrinkage than concretes with 100% portland cement. When the curing period is increased to 14, 28, and 56 days, the adverse effect of adding fly ash on free shrinkage is minimized and finally reversed. The addition of an SRA significantly reduces free shrinkage for both the 100% portland cement mixture and the mixture containing fly ash. The second portion of the study investigates the relationship between the evaporable water content in the cement paste and the free shrinkage of concrete. A linear relationship between free shrinkage and evaporable water content in the cement paste is observed. For a given mixture, specimens cured for a longer period contain less evaporable water and exhibit lower free shrinkage and less weight loss in the free shrinkage

using a tandem GnRH peptide as a branched polylysine construct, a lipo-thioester, a lipo-amide or a KLH conjugate in CFA, and the lipoamide peptide in an immuno-stimulating complex (ISCOM). We found the lipo-thioester and the branched polylysine constructs to be the most effective carrier molecules...... for the induction of antibodies against GnRH and immunocastration of pigs....

This paper describes an optical voltage transformer (OVT) for a 132-130 kV system based on the Pockels effect in a Bi4Ge3O12 crystal. Different from the majority of OVTs reported, this construction does not use any capacitive voltage division. To accomplish this, it was necessary to redesign...... the optical modulator. A prototype of the OVT has been constructed and tested...

Peat is abundantly present within the Holocene coastal-deltaic sequence of the Netherlands, where it is alternating with clastic fluvial, estuarine and lagoonal deposits. The areas that are rich in peat are vulnerable to land subsidence, resulting from consolidation and oxidation, due to loading by overlying deposits, infrastructure and buildings, as well as excessive artificial drainage. The physical properties of the peat are very heterogeneous, with variable clastic admixture up to 80% of its mass and rapid decrease in porosity with increasing effective stress. Mapping the spatial distribution of the peat properties is essential for identifying areas most susceptible to future land subsidence, as mineral content determines volume loss by oxidation, and porosity influences the rate of consolidation. Here we present the outline of a study focusing on mapping mechanical peat properties in relation to density and amount of admixed clastic constituents of Holocene peat layers (in 3D). In this study we use a staged approach: 1) Identifying soil mechanical properties in two large datasets that are managed by Utrecht University and the Geological Survey. 2) Determining relations between these properties and palaeogeographical development of the area by evaluating these properties against known geological concepts such as distance to clastic source (river, estuary etc.). 3) Implementing the obtained relations in GeoTOP, which is a 3D geological subsurface model of the Netherlands developed by the Geological Survey. The model will be used, among others, to assess the susceptibility of different areas to peat related land subsidence and load bearing capacity of the subsurface. So far, our analysis has focused stage 1, by establishing empirical relations between mechanical peat properties in ~70 paired (piezometer) cone penetration tests and continuously cored boreholes with LOI measurements. Results show strong correlations between net cone resistance (qn), excess pore

By using a two-stage constructed wetland (CW) system operated with an organic load of 40 gCOD.m(-2).d(-1) (2 m2 per person equivalent) average nitrogen removal efficiencies of about 50% and average nitrogen elimination rates of 980 g N.m(-2).yr(-1) could be achieved. Two vertical flow beds with intermittent loading have been operated in series. The first stage uses sand with a grain size of 2-3.2 mm for the main layer and has a drainage layer that is impounded; the second stage sand with a grain size of 0.06-4 mm and a drainage layer with free drainage. The high nitrogen removal can be achieved without recirculation thus it is possible to operate the two-stage CW system without energy input. The paper shows performance data for the two-stage CW system regarding removal of organic matter and nitrogen for the two year operating period of the system. Additionally, its efficiency is compared with the efficiency of a single-stage vertical flow CW system designed and operated according to the Austrian design standards with 4 m2 per person equivalent. The comparison shows that a higher effluent quality could be reached with the two-stage system although the two-stage CW system is operated with the double organic load or half the specific surface area requirement, respectively. Another advantage is that the specific investment costs of the two-stage CW system amount to 1,200 EUR per person (without mechanical pre-treatment) and are only about 60% of the specific investment costs of the singe-stage CW system. IWA Publishing 2008.

After reviewing RC segment materials and the number of joints required, a segment of five equal pieces using high-fluidity concrete is employed in conduit construction work (for 500kV transmission lines) near Hommoku Wharf, Kanagawa Prefecture, which is for reduction in the shield tunnel construction cost (segment cost rate approximately 1/3). The use of high-fluidity concrete raises the materials cost a little but the factory overhead, expenditures for fabrication and formwork construction are lowered because some working processes may be dispensed with, such as the processes of compaction by vibration, surface finish, and formwork movement, and because the formwork main body may be simplified in structure. Although the standard tunnel specifications mention a segment consisting of 6 pieces, the 5-piece segment adopted in this construction work lowers the cost approximately 20% thanks to reduction in the numbers of joints between segment pieces and between rings. In the shield tunnelling process, assembly is easier and the construction work is executed without hitches deserving special mention. The new technique is comparable to the conventional ones in terms of quality and process management. Since the number of joints per piece between rings is reduced from the 3 in the conventional method to the 2 in this new method, two core-sensing pins are provided per piece between rings for assuring accuracy and shortening time in assembling. 2 refs., 8 figs., 11 tabs.

This study explored a group of elementary teachers' ("n" = 35) learning to constructhigh-quality lesson plans that foster student understanding of fundamental mathematical ideas. The conceptual framework for this study was gleaned from the recently released Institute of Education Sciences (IES) recommendations, including (a)…

This curriculum guide is for administrators and their advisors to use in meeting local, state, and regional needs in training architectual and building construction technicians at the post-high school level. It was developed by a technical education specialist at the national level. The guide provides: (1) a suggested curriculum plan, (2) course…

The Nuussuaq Basin in the Baffin Bay area in West Greenland formed as a result of the opening of the Labrador Sea in Late Mesozoic to Early Cenozoic times. The first rifting and the development of the Nuussuaq Basin took place during the Early Cretaceous and was followed by a second rifting phase...

Swash and Surf Zones, PI: Q. Jim Chen Report Documentation Page Form ApprovedOMB No. 0704-0188 Public reporting burden for the collection of...potential vorticity in the surf and swash zones, as well as the momentum exchange between the two dynamical regions. APPROACH The research project...divers for inshore countermine warfare. The modeling framework integrated with the CFD Toolkits developed at LSU will allow us to couple the hydrodynamic

This work applies the sequence stratigraphy concepts in the faciological analysis based on the individualization of the boundary surfaces and the architectural elements, with the aim to work out prediction models for the permeability changes of the oil reservoir from fluvial-deltaic Sao Sebastiao Formation, Reconcavo Basin. The descriptions of drill holes and outcrops related to the studied interval allow to recognize three complete 4th order sequences, all of that limited by erosive surfaces. The best oil reservoirs are related to fluvial sandstones deposited during the low stand system tract and to deltaic sandstones from the lower portion of the transgressive system tract. The main sealers of the oil reservoir are the maximum flooding surfaces. The fluvial oil reservoirs are homogeneous, however the deltaic ones have a good lateral continuity, but a lower vertical connectivity in the sand bodies. The vertical and lateral inter finger of the D A and S B elements control the flow units in fluvial systems. In deltaic systems, the reservoir homogeneity depends on the relation between deltaic front and pro delta deposits. (author)

A photovoltaic energy conversion system, constructed by high step-up converter with hybrid maximum power point tracking (HMPPT), is presented. A voltage converter with a high voltage conversion ratio is proposed, which is simple in circuit and easy in control. After this, such a converter operating with a suitable initial duty cycle of the pulsewidth-modulated (PWM) control signal, together with the proposed HMPPT algorithm combining the fractional open-circuit voltage method and the incremen...

[reaction: see text] Construction of the highly strained CDEF parent tetracycle, a structural motif found only in the potent ectoparasiticidal agents (+)-nodulisporic acids A and B and related congeners, has been achieved via a new modular indole synthesis, exploiting a sequential Stille cross-coupling/Buchwald-Hartwig union/cyclization tactic. The new indole synthesis holds the promise of rapid assembly of diverse, highly substituted indoles possessing uncommon substitution patterns.

Momentum behind zero energy building design and construction is increasing, presenting a tremendous opportunity for advancing energy performance in the commercial building industry. At the same time, there is a lingering perception that zero energy buildings must be cost prohibitive or limited to showcase projects. Fortunately, an increasing number of projects are demonstrating that high performance can be achieved within typical budgets. This factsheet highlights replicable, recommended strategies for achieving high performance on a budget, based on experiences from past projects.

The purpose of this classroom case study was to explore the social construction of literacy in a high school biology class with a constructivist teacher. The teacher, Mr. Green, believed strongly in active student engagement. A social constructionist, interpretivist approach provided a framework for data collection and analysis. Field notes of one semester of participant observation and interviews of the teacher and students served as primary data sources. Supplemental data were derived from document analysis of classroom materials. Data were categorized and analyzed for patterns within or between categories. These patterns formed the basis for several assertions about literacy and science activities in this classroom. Results suggested that Mr. Green orchestrated the talk in the classroom but did not do all of the talking; there was a large quantity of varied student talk in this classroom atmosphere of shared authority. When Mr. Green talked with his students, he focused on building science concepts. He created opportunities for students to work together and engage in scientist-like activities, but students talked to each other mostly about "getting the work done." Reading and writing were embedded in most classroom tasks, for example, taking notes from textbooks and reading lab directions. Most students could complete these literacy tasks, but many had difficulty doing them in a meaningful way. They preferred to use oral rather than written language. Students responded positively when Mr. Green provided a greater degree of teacher guidance for reading and writing tasks. This study suggests that sharing authority with students may help create a language-rich environment in which students use language to meet their perceived learning needs. It also suggests that as teachers share authority they would do well to maintain responsibility for showing students how to use reading and writing to develop conceptual understandings. Future research might engage teachers in

Coastal forested hummocks support clusters of trees in the saltwater–freshwater transition zone. To examine how hummocks support trees in mesohaline sites that are beyond physiological limits of the trees, we used salinity and stable isotopes (2H and 18O) of water as tracers to understand water fluxes in hummocks and uptake by baldcypress (Taxodium distichum (L.) Rich.), which is the most abundant tree species in coastal freshwater forests of the southeastern U.S. Hummocks were always partially submerged and were completely submerged 1 to 8% of the time during the two studied growing seasons, in association with high water in the estuary. Salinity, δ18O, and δ2H varied more in the shallow open water than in groundwater. Surface water and shallow groundwater were similar to throughfall in isotopic composition, which suggested dominance by rainfall. Salinity of groundwater in hummocks increased with depth, was higher than in swales, and fluctuated little over time. Isotopic composition of xylem water in baldcypress was similar to the vadose zone and unlike other measured sources, indicating that trees preferentially use unsaturated hummock tops as refugia from higher salinity and saturated soil in swales and the lower portions of hummocks. Sustained upward gradients of salinity from groundwater to surface water and vadose water, and low variation in groundwater salinity and isotopic composition, suggested long residence time, limited exchange with surface water, and that the shallow subsurface of hummocks is characterized by episodic salinization and slow dilution.

Accurate prediction of compartment architecture and intra-compartment heterogeneity is necessary to locate and recover the estimated 15 billion barrels of mobile oil remaining in U.S. fluvial-dominated deltaic reservoirs. Complex architecture and rapid lateral variability in such reservoirs complicate subsurface prediction, particularly in mature fields where well logs are the only available subsurface data. A genetic-stratigraphy-based methodology has been developed that improves between-well prediction of deltaic reservoir architecture and, thus, reduces risks associated with infill-drilling. In the area of Tijerina-Canales-Blucher (T-C-B) field, the productive 3rd-order Lower Frio unit was subdivided into eight 4th-order genetic units. Delta-front positions were identified on the basis of regional and subregional cross sections. The 4th-order units (30 to 80 ft thick) were subdivided into two five 5th-order units (10 to 30 ft thick). Log patterns and n sandstone maps were used to identify facies, which include (1) distributary channels (up to 25 ft thick, <1,000 to >8,000 ft wide, and commonly narrower than 40-acre well spacing), (2) mouth bars (up to 15 ft thick, ranging in size from 40 to 640 acres in area, commonly <320 acres), (3) bayfill splays (up to 10 ft thick, 20 to 700 acres in area, and commonly <160 acres), (4) wave-reworked delta fronts (up to 35 ft thick, and >5,000 ft wide), and (5) washover fans (up to 10 ft thick, and 7,000 ft wide). Many reservoir compartments, including the prolific 21-B interval, contain a significant degree of stratigraphic trapping caused by updip pinchout of delta front or washover sandstones or convex-updip segments of meandering distributary channel sandstones. The methodology and results of this study are directly applicable to other Gulf Coast fluvial-deltaic reservoirs in the Frio Formation and Wilcox Group, as well as to deltaic reservoirs throughout the U.S.

Full Text Available High arsenic (As concentration in groundwater has affected human health, particularly in South-East Asia putting millions of people at risk. Biogeochemical cycling of As carried out by different bacterial groups are suggested to control the As fluxes in aquifers. A functional diversity approach in link with As precipitation was adopted to study bacterial community structures and their variation within the As contaminated Bengal Delta Plain (BDP aquifers of India. Groundwater samples collected from two shallow aquifers in Karimpur II (West Bengal, India, during years 2010 and 2011, were investigated to trace the effects of inter-annual variability in precipitation on community structure and diversity of bacterial assemblages. The study focused on amplification, clone library generation and sequencing of the arsenite oxidase large sub-unit gene aioA and 16S rRNA marker, with respect to changes in elemental concentrations. New set of primers were designed to amplify the aioA gene as a phylogenetic marker to study taxonomically diverse arsenite oxidizing bacterial groups in these aquifers. Overall narrow distribution of bacterial communities based on aioA and 16S rRNA sequences observed was due to poor nutrient status and anoxic conditions in these As contaminated aquifers. Proteobacteria was the dominant phylum detected, within which Acidovorax, Hydrogenophaga, Albidiferax, Bosea and Polymorphum were the major arsenite oxidizing bacterial genera. The structure of bacterial assemblages including those of arsenite oxidizing bacteria were affected by an increase in major elemental concentrations (e.g., As, iron, sulfur, and silica within two sampling sessions, which was supported by PCA analysis. One of the significant findings of this study is detection of novel lineages of 16S rRNA-like bacterial sequences indicating presence of indigenous bacterial communities across both wells of BDP that can play important role in biogeochemical cycling of

After Beijing wins the bit to host the 29th Olympic Games, in order to manifest the technical support advantages and capabilities of the autonomously-developed RS and GIS based change detection techniques in 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, and from the standpoints of executing new city planning, relieving the traffic congestion as well as maintaining the historic features, an automatic satellite monitoring system has been studied and established to accomplish the mission of unauthorized construction inspection within the Sixth Ring Road of Beijing city quarterly, by adopting the CBERS-2 satellite images and combining technologies of GIS, GPS, etc. This article discusses the applicable procedures and key issues when utilizing such Chinese satellite images and relevant techniques to discover the illegal constructions, and introduces the monitoring system from both the design and implementation aspects; additionally, some typical application cases in the practice of the system are also illustrated. The monitoring system can timely supply abundant information to facilitate the policy-making of relevant planning departments, thus providing consolidate technical support to eliminate the illegal constructing behaviors in the blossom. During the five years' excellent performance, it has helped China save large amounts of expenditures for processing of unauthorized constructed buildings.

We report a systematic study on the construction of the explicit, general form of vortex-surface fields (VSFs) and Clebsch potentials in the initial fields with the zero helicity density and high symmetry. The construction methodology is based on finding independent first integrals of the characteristic equation of a given three-dimensional velocity-vorticity field. In particular, we derive the analytical VSFs and Clebsch potentials for the initial field with the Kida-Pelz symmetry. These analytical results can be useful for the evolution of VSFs to study vortical structures in transitional flows. Moreover, the generality of the construction method is discussed with the synthetic initial fields and the initial Taylor-Green field with multiple wavenumbers.

Impacts of highway construction on streams in the central Appalachians are a growing concern as new roads are created to promote tourism and economic development in the area. Alterations to the streambed of a first-order stream, Sauerkraut Run, Hardy County, WV, during construction of a highway overpass included placement and removal of a temporary culvert, straightening and regrading of a section of stream channel, and armourment of a bank with a reinforced gravel berm. We surveyed longitudinal profiles and cross sections in a reference reach and the altered reach of Sauerkraut Run from 2003 through 2007 to measure physical changes in the streambed. During the four-year period, three high-flow events changed the streambed downstream of construction including channel widening and aggradation and then degradation of the streambed. Upstream of construction, at a reinforced gravel berm, bank erosion was documented. The reference section remained relatively unchanged. Knowledge gained by documenting channel changes in response to natural and anthropogenic variables can be useful for managers and engineers involved in highway construction projects.

To deal with the exploitation difficulties of gas fields in Northeast Sichuan with deep marine strata, after re- searching the relative standards domestic and abroad extensively, summarizing and promoting the successful experiences and failure lessons of project construction technology application scientifically, Sinopec has established an integrated technical standard system for the exploration and development of ultra deep and high sour gas fields. The system consists of 51 enterprise standards and covers 7 professions including geophysical prospecting, drilling, drilling log, well log- ging, gas formation test and production, sour gas gathering and transferring system, and HSE （health, safety, environ- ment）. It guides and guarantees the safe, high-quality and high-efficiency project construction effectively by means of enhancing the engineering design criterion, recommending the data processing and interpretation methods, identifying the requirements of operation and field inspection and standardizing the application of technical equipments.

The programme currently undergoing implementation for the construction of high-speed railway lines in Poland forms a key element in the restructuring of Polish railways, aimed at their modernisation and inclusion in the European system. The railway of the future is going to meet the necessary standards and quality to satisfy the expectations of society and business. The key decision launching the construction programme was the Cabinet Resolution of 19 December 2008 (no. 276/2008) establishing a trans-regional strategy for developing high-speed transport in Poland. The preparatory work already underway is intended to make it possible for actual construction work on the first high-speed line with a design speed of 350 km/h connecting Warszawa, Lodz, Wroclaw and Poznan to begin in 2014. At the same time, modernisation is planned for the E65 line going south (known as the Central Railway Line or CMK) to bring it into line with high-speed parameters and extending from Warszawa to Krakow and Katowice and from there on to Polish-Czech border. By 2020, nearly 1000 km of high-speed lines ought to have been launched in Poland. (orig.)

NREL experienced a significant increase in employees and facilities on our 327-acre main campus in Golden, Colorado over the past five years. To support this growth, researchers developed and demonstrated a new building acquisition method that successfully integrates energy efficiency requirements into the design-build requests for proposals and contracts. We piloted this energy performance based design-build process with our first new construction project in 2008. We have since replicated and evolved the process for large office buildings, a smart grid research laboratory, a supercomputer, a parking structure, and a cafeteria. Each project incorporated aggressive efficiency strategies using contractual energy use requirements in the design-build contracts, all on typical construction budgets. We have found that when energy efficiency is a core project requirement as defined at the beginning of a project, innovative design-build teams can integrate the most cost effective and high performance efficiency strategies on typical construction budgets. When the design-build contract includes measurable energy requirements and is set up to incentivize design-build teams to focus on achieving high performance in actual operations, owners can now expect their facilities to perform. As NREL completed the new construction in 2013, we have documented our best practices in training materials and a how-to guide so that other owners and owner's representatives can replicate our successes and learn from our experiences in attaining market viable, world-class energy performance in the built environment.

Wetland mesocosms were constructed to assess two salt- and B-tolerant hybrid poplar clones (Populus trichocarpa ×P. deltoides×P. nigra '345-1' and '347-14') for treating saline water high in boron (B) and selenium (Se). In addition, a hydroponic experiment was performed to test the B tolerance and B...

Full Text Available This study examined the convergent construct validity of a new performance-based assessment instrument called the Comprehensive High-Level Activity Mobility Predictor (CHAMP as a measure of high-level mobility in servicemembers (SMs with traumatic lower-limb loss (LLL. The study was completed by 118 SMs. Convergent construct validity of the CHAMP was established using the 6-minute walk test (6MWT as a measure of overall mobility and physical function and the Amputee Mobility Predictor (AMP as a measure of basic prosthetic mobility. The known group methods construct validity examined disparities in high-level mobility capability among SMs with different levels of LLL. The CHAMP score demonstrated a strong positive relationship between 6MWT distance (r = 0.80, p < 0.001 and AMP score (r = 0.87, p < 0.001, respectively. In addition, the CHAMP can discriminate between different levels of LLL. Study findings support the CHAMP as a valid performance-based assessment instrument of high-level mobility for SMs with traumatic LLL.

Fast-growing and High-yielding Forests Base Construction Program is the only industrialization program of six key forestry programs. The main construction content is to plant 13.33 million hm fast-growing and high-yielding plantation in 18 provinces in China. According to the program planning and growth of different tree species, the biomass of this program is evaluated and the C sequestration is assessed in this paper. In the program period, the biomass of the program will reach 3.703 6×109 t, and the C storage will get 1.851 8×109 t. The program will have a great effect on raising the C pool function of forest vegetation.

A good genetic map can provide the framework for quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis, map-based gene cloning, and genome sequence assembling. The main objectives of this study were to develop a high-density genetic linkage map using specific length amplified fragment sequencing (SLAF-seq) in sesame. In the result, a high-resolution genetic map with 9,378 SLAF markers and 13 linkage groups (LGs) was constructed. The map spanned a total genetic distance of 1,974.23 cM, and the mean LG length was 151.86 cM, with an average genetic distance of 0.22 cM between adjacent markers. Based on the newly constructed genetic map, genes for basal branching habit (SiBH) and flowers per leaf axil (SiFA) were mapped to LG5 and LG11, respectively. PMID:28496450

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) needs more than 6000 superconducting corrector magnets. These must be sufficiently powerful, have enough margin, be compact and of low cost. The development of the 11 types of magnets was spread over several years and included the magnetic and mechanical design as well as prototype building and testing. It gradually led to the systematic application of a number of interesting construction principles that allow to realize the above mentioned goals. The paper describes the techniques developed and presently used in practically all the LHC corrector magnets ranging from dipoles to dodecapoles.

The paper discusses some of the assumptions and methods employed for the control of ionizing radiation in the specifications for the civil construction of a planned free electron laser facility based on a 200 MeV, 5 mA superconducting recirculation electron accelerator. Consideration is given firstly to the way in which the underlying building configuration and siting aspects were optimized on the basis of the early assumptions of beam loss and radiation goals. The various design requirements for radiation protection are then considered, and how they were folded into an aesthetically pleasing and functional building.

This is the final report on project DE-SC0008926. The goal of this project was to create capabilities for constructing, analyzing, and modeling experimental databases of the crystallographic characters and physical properties of thousands of individual grain boundaries (GBs) in polycrystalline metals. This project focused on gallium permeation through aluminum (Al) GBs and hydrogen uptake into nickel (Ni) GBs as model problems. This report summarizes the work done within the duration of this project (including the original three-year award and the subsequent one-year renewal), i.e. from August 1, 2012 until April 30, 2016.

This study is a description and analysis of student learning when required to use vector mathematics to represent two dimensional situations in the solution of grade 12 physics problems. Coupled with this exploration, the role of a teacher as a facilitator in creating effective conditions and interactions to facilitate student knowledge construction was critically analyzed. Nine grade 12 physics students volunteered to participate in a process of articulating their reasoning and problem solving strategies over a sixteen week period in a regular secondary school classroom setting. The participants were taught the normal content of the Saskatchewan grade 12 physics curriculum by the researcher who is an accredited, experienced physics teacher. Data were collected by video recording of classroom sessions, interviews, student assignments, and field notes maintained by the researcher. Student learning is described through a combination of excerpts of student discourse and data collected from other sources during the study. Interpretation of student-teacher interaction is informed by a constructivist perspective of student knowledge construction and conceptual development in science education, and the personal teaching experience of the researcher. Student learning during increasingly complex use of vector mathematics is described. The sequence of topics begins with vector addition and subtraction, and problems requiring those functions for solution. Vector components are then developed using a combination of classroom activities and interactive discussion. The final topic developed is momentum. Students were found to have well developed experiential knowledge which interfered with their construction of conceptual knowledge. Concrete examples did not guarantee that students would develop conceptual understanding of a given phenomenon. Students used algorithms indiscriminately and often did not know if their answers were reasonable. When momentum was introduced, the

This study explored the feasibility of using TanDEM-X (TDX) interferometric observations of tidal flats for digital elevation model (DEM) construction. Our goal was to generate high-precision DEMs in tidal flat areas, because accurate intertidal zone data are essential for monitoring coastal environment sand erosion processes. To monitor dynamic coastal changes caused by waves, currents, and tides, very accurate DEMs with high spatial resolution are required. The bi- and monostatic modes of the TDX interferometer employed during the TDX science phase provided a great opportunity for highly accurate intertidal DEM construction using radar interferometry with no time lag (bistatic mode) or an approximately 10-s temporal baseline (monostatic mode) between the master and slave synthetic aperture radar image acquisitions. In this study, DEM construction in tidal flat areas was first optimized based on the TDX system parameters used in various TDX modes. We successfully generated intertidal zone DEMs with 57-m spatial resolutions and interferometric height accuracies better than 0.15 m for three representative tidal flats on the west coast of the Korean Peninsula. Finally, we validated these TDX DEMs against real-time kinematic-GPS measurements acquired in two tidal flat areas; the correlation coefficient was 0.97 with a root mean square error of 0.20 m.

Full Text Available Abstract Background Cucurbita pepo is a member of the Cucurbitaceae family, the second- most important horticultural family in terms of economic importance after Solanaceae. The "summer squash" types, including Zucchini and Scallop, rank among the highest-valued vegetables worldwide. There are few genomic tools available for this species. The first Cucurbita transcriptome, along with a large collection of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNP, was recently generated using massive sequencing. A set of 384 SNP was selected to generate an Illumina GoldenGate assay in order to construct the first SNP-based genetic map of Cucurbita and map quantitative trait loci (QTL. Results We herein present the construction of the first SNP-based genetic map of Cucurbita pepo using a population derived from the cross of two varieties with contrasting phenotypes, representing the main cultivar groups of the species' two subspecies: Zucchini (subsp. pepo × Scallop (subsp. ovifera. The mapping population was genotyped with 384 SNP, a set of selected EST-SNP identified in silico after massive sequencing of the transcriptomes of both parents, using the Illumina GoldenGate platform. The global success rate of the assay was higher than 85%. In total, 304 SNP were mapped, along with 11 SSR from a previous map, giving a map density of 5.56 cM/marker. This map was used to infer syntenic relationships between C. pepo and cucumber and to successfully map QTL that control plant, flowering and fruit traits that are of benefit to squash breeding. The QTL effects were validated in backcross populations. Conclusion Our results show that massive sequencing in different genotypes is an excellent tool for SNP discovery, and that the Illumina GoldenGate platform can be successfully applied to constructing genetic maps and performing QTL analysis in Cucurbita. This is the first SNP-based genetic map in the Cucurbita genus and is an invaluable new tool for biological research

Full Text Available In the article the author describes the importance of the technological regulations development in the process of constructing various transport constructions: tunnels, subways, bridges and other important objects. In the article the peculiarities of the technological regulations development are fully taken into account; the dependence of the depth of their development and the quality of the concrete constructions, as well as the speed of the objects of transport infrastructure construction, including the examples of building the road tunnels in Moscow. The course of their development is shown with account for the main provisions, which should be included in technological regulations in order to ensure the most complete coverage of the issues arising in engineering, laboratory and Supervisory structure in the process of performing the works. The author proposes new effective materials and technologies of works. In particular, sufficient attention is paid to self-compacting concrete — a new type of concrete, which is able to flow and compact under its own weight, completely filling the formwork even in case of dense reinforcement, while maintaining the homogeneity and having no seals. The application experience of concrete self-sealing in the construction of the metro showed that labor costs for the concrete mixture sealing were 5-6 times reduced, and the speed of laying the concrete increased 2-3 times. When laying self-compacting concrete high-quality surfaces are formed, which do not require additional costs to bring them to the design parameters. In addition, the work shows the parameters of the technological processes and sets various types of works sequence: the article describes the features of formwork, placement and curing of the concrete in terms of year-round construction, shows the importance of thermo physical calculations of concrete hardening and the efficiency of using self-sealing concrete. Sufficient attention is also paid to

The design and construction of 300-mK composite bolometers developed for millimeter-wave astronomical observations are described. Graphite fibers are used as the electrical leads for the thermistor to reduce the thermal conductance and heat capacity associated with the leads. A mechanical suspension made of Nylon fibers provides the required thermal conductance. Electrical noise equivalent powers below 1 x 10 exp -16 W/sq rt Hz have been achieved for detectors with thermal time constants of 11 ms. The detectors were installed in a millimeter-wave photometer and used to perform observations of the cosmic microwave background from a balloonborne platform. The flight performance was consistent with the measured laboratory properties.

Two prominent approaches within the Building America Program to construct higher R-value walls have included use of larger dimension framing and exterior rigid foam insulation. These approaches have been met with some success; however for many production builders, where the cost of changing framing systems is expensive, the changes have been slow to be realized. In addition, recent building code changes have raised some performance issues for exterior sheathing and raised heel trusses, for example, that indicates a need for continued performance testing for wall systems. The testing methods presented in this report evaluate structural rim header designs over openings up to 6 ft wide and applicable to one- and two-story homes.

Using the example of N2-fixing legume-rhizobial symbiosis, we demonstrated that the origin and evolution of bacteria symbiotic for plants involve the following: 1) the formation of novel sym gene systems based on reorganizations of the bacterial genomes and on the gene transfer from the distant organisms; 2) the loss of genes encoding for functions that are required for autonomous performance but interfere with symbiotic functions (negative regulators of symbiosis). Therefore, the construction of effective rhizobia strains should involve improvement of sym genes activities (for instance, nif, fix, and dct genes, encoding for nitrogenase synthesis or for the energy supply of N2 fixation), as well as the inactivation of negative regulators of symbiosis identified in our lab (eff genes encoding for the transport of sugars, and the production of polysaccharides, and storage compounds, as well as for oxidative-reductive processes).

We constructed IncP broad-host-range Gateway® entry cosmids pJC8 and pJC24, which replicate in diverse Proteobacteria. We demonstrate the functionality of these vectors by extracting, purifying, and size-selecting metagenomic DNA from agricultural corn and wheat soils, followed by cloning into pJC8. Metagenomic DNA libraries of 8×10(4) (corn soil) and 9×10(6) (wheat soil) clones were generated for functional screening. The DNA cloned in these libraries can be transferred from these recombinant cosmids to Gateway® destination vectors for specialized screening purposes. Those library clones are available from the Canadian MetaMicroBiome Library project (http://www.cm2bl.org/).

In the present study, metagenomic technique and fosmid vectors were used to construct a library of clones for exploring the biotechnological potential of mangrove soils by isolation of functional genes encoding hydrolytic enzymes. The library was built with genomic DNA from the soil samples of mangrove sediments and the functional screening of 1824 clones (~64 Mbp) was performed to detect the hydrolytic activity specific for cellulases, amylases (at acidic, neutral and basic pH), lipases/esterases, proteases, and nitrilases. Significant numbers of clones, positive for the tested enzyme activities were obtained. Our results indicate the importance and biotechnological potential of mangrove soils especially when compared to those obtained using other soil metagenomic libraries.

The construction of the high liter and highly expressed safety retroviral vector carrying human clotting factor IX cDNA is reported. Retroviral vectors LNCTX, LIXSN and LCTXSN, driven by hCMV, LTR and hCMV combined with LTR promoter respectively, were constructed, based on the retroviral vector LNL6, and transferred into packaging cell line PA317 with electroporalion. Human dolling factor IX was delected in the cultured cells transduced with LNCIX and LIXSN but not in the cells transduced with LCIXSN. The viral titer of PA317/LNC1X was 800000 CFU per mL. With ELISA detection, it was found that the cells transduced with this vector can express human clotting factor IX at the level of 3.3μg per 106 cells in 24 h in human fibrosarcoma cells HT-1080 and 2.5μg per 106 cells in 24 h in hemophilia B patients’ skin fibroblast HSF cells, and more than 80% of them were biologically active. The viral liter and expression of human FIX were increased, and the construction of retroviral vector backbone was improved

Full Text Available Purpose. The formation of the many ways the construction of high-rise multipurpose complexes. Methodology. The formation of system implementation variants of creation and functioning of high-rise multipurpose complexes using combinatorial morphological analysis and synthesis. Findings. Many life cycle options of high-rise multipurpose complexes. Originality. The developed method of formation of organizational and technological solutions adapted to the conditions of the construction of high-rise multipurpose complexes, which provides the opportunity for multi-variant conditions, taking into account regulatory requirements for fire safety, insolation of buildings and premises, protection against noise and vibration, energy efficiency, infrastructure and population density of a residential district with a full range of institutions and enterprises of local significance, within existing resource constraints, to ensure the commissioning of objects with specified technical and economic characteristics. Practical value. The proposed model and the methodology allow to determine a rational variant of high-rise building according to specified criteria and constraints.

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Paper pulp wastewater resulting from alkaline extraction of wheat straw, known as black liquor, is very difficult to be treated and causes serious environmental problems due to its high pH value and chemical oxygen demand (COD pollution load. Lignin, semicellulose and cellulose are the main contributors to the high COD values in black liquor. Very few microorganisms can survive in such harsh environments of the alkaline wheat straw black liquor. A naturally developed microbial community was found accidentally in a black liquor storing pool in a paper pulp mill of China. The community was effective in pH decreasing, color and COD removing from the high alkaline and high COD black liquor. FINDINGS: Thirty-eight strains of bacteria were isolated from the black liquor storing pool, and were grouped as eleven operational taxonomy units (OTUs using random amplified polymorphic DNA-PCR profiles (RAPD. Eleven representative strains of each OTU, which were identified as genera of Halomonas and Bacillus, were used to construct a consortium to treat black liquor with a high pH value of 11.0 and very high COD pollution load of 142,600 mg l(-1. After treatment by the constructed consortium, about 35.4% of color and 39,000 mg l(-1 (27.3% COD(cr were removed and the pH decreased to 7.8. 16S rRNA gene polymerase chain reaction denaturant gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS analysis suggested a two-stage treatment mechanism to elucidate the interspecies collaboration: Halomonas isolates were important in the first stage to produce organic acids that contributed to the pH decline, while Bacillus isolates were involved in the degradation of lignin derivatives in the second stage under lower pH conditions. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Tolerance to the high alkaline environment and good controllability of the simple consortium suggested that the constructed consortium has good potential for black liquor

The influence of diatoms on clayey soils behavior has been shown to be important through studies of these soil deposits in Japan, Mexico, Thailand, among others. In Guayaquil city, the presence of diatom assemblages in soil samples was identified in the deltaic estuarine deposition found throughout the urban area. A new geotechnical characterization scheme for the Guayaquil soils was proposed based on geological studies, historical data of geotechnical explorations, in situ microtemor measurements, and Spectral Analysis of Surface Waves (SASW) tests performed at representative sites. Geotechnical parameters, such as plasticity, sensitivity, and void ratio, depend on the amount of cementation in the soils. This influences the static behavior of Guayaquil soils by producing an apparent overconsolidation ratio and high anisotropy ratio in some areas, which in turns, affect the seismic response of these deposits. Accordingly, some correlations were developed between geotechnical parameters and seismic response properties such as shear wave velocity for each geotechnical zone to characterize the Guayaquil soil deposits for dynamic analyses. The Construction Ecuadorian Norm requires that site-specific geotechnical investigations and seismic response analyses be performed for the high plasticity deltaic estuarine clays, which are the predominant soils in Guayaquil. Select soil constitutive models can capture the Guayaquil clay behavior as reflected in the results of advanced monotonic and cyclic test performed as part of this study. The analysis of these results provides a framework for understanding the mechanical behavior of the estuarine-deltaic, high plasticity, diatomaceous, naturally cemented clay in Guayaquil. Seismic response analyses using non-linear and linear equivalent models were also performed that provided useful insights. Based on the calculated elastic and inelastic responses of the Guayaquil soils, a seismic zonation for the city was proposed where the

Genetic linkage maps are critical and indispensable tools in a wide range of genetic and genomic research. With the advancement of genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) methods, the construction of a high-density and high-resolution linkage maps has become achievable in marine organisms lacking sufficient genomic resources, such as echinoderms. In this study, high-density, high-resolution genetic map was constructed for a sea cucumber species, Apostichopus japonicus, utilizing the 2b-restriction site-associated DNA (2b-RAD) method. A total of 7839 markers were anchored to the linkage map with the map coverage of 99.57%, to our knowledge, this is the highest marker density among echinoderm species. QTL mapping and association analysis consistently captured one growth-related QTL located in a 5 cM region of linkage group (LG) 5. An annotated candidate gene, retinoblastoma-binding protein 5 (RbBP5), which has been reported to be an important regulator of cell proliferation, was recognized in the QTL region. This linkage map represents a powerful tool for research involving both fine-scale QTL mapping and marker assisted selection (MAS), and will facilitate chromosome assignment and improve the whole-genome assembly of sea cucumber in the future.

Full Text Available Abstract Background Hep27 monoclonal (Hep27 Mab is an antibody against hepatocellular carcinoma. Hep27 Mab itself can inhibit the growth of a hepatocellular carcinoma cell line (HCC-S102. We attempted to produce a single-chain fragment (scFv, a small fragment containing an antigen-binding site of Hep27 Mab, by using DNA-recombinant techniques. Results The sequences encoding the variable regions of heavy (VH and light (VL chains of a murine Hep27 Mab were linked together by a linker peptide (Gly4Ser3 and tagged with a hexa-histidine at the C-terminal; the resultant DNA construct was expressed in E. coli as an insoluble protein. The denatured scFv was refolded and purified by immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography (12 mg/l with a molecular weight of 27 kDa. Hep27scFv exhibited a tumoricidal activity against the HCC-S102 cell as its parental antibody (Hep27 Mab. Conclusion This scFv may be a potential candidate for a targeting agent in HCC immunodiagnosis or immunotherapy.

High resolution microscope systems with optical traps allow for precise manipulation of various refractive objects, such as dielectric beads (1) or cellular organelles (2,3), as well as for high spatial and temporal resolution readout of their position relative to the center of the trap. The system described herein has one such "traditional" trap operating at 980 nm. It additionally provides a second optical trapping system that uses a commercially available holographic package to simultaneously create and manipulate complex trapping patterns in the field of view of the microscope (4,5) at a wavelength of 1,064 nm. The combination of the two systems allows for the manipulation of multiple refractive objects at the same time while simultaneously conducting high speed and high resolution measurements of motion and force production at nanometer and piconewton scale.

A high power injector of hydrogen cluster ions, rated for 1 MV and 100 kW, is described. The injector is split in three separate tanks connected by a 1 MV transfer line. The cluster ion beam source and all its auxiliary equipment is placed at high voltage, insulated by SF/sub 6/ gas at pressure of 4 bar. The main components of the injector are: The cluster ion beam source with integrated helium cryopumps, the CERN type acceleration tube with 750 mm ID, the beam dump designed to handle the mass and energy flux under DC conditions, a 1 MV high voltage terminal for the auxiliary equipment supplied by its 40 kVA power supply with power, and the 1 MV 120 kW DC high voltage generator. This injector is installed in Karlsruhe. Performance tests were carried out successfully. It is intended to use this injector for refuelling experiments at the ASDEX Tokamak. (12 refs).

Parallel coordinate plots (PCPs) are among the most useful techniques for the visualization and exploration of high-dimensional data spaces. They are especially useful for the representation of correlations among the dimensions, which identify relationships and interdependencies between variables. However, within these high-dimensional spaces, PCPs face difficulties in displaying the correlation between combinations of dimensions and generally require additional display space as the number of...

Genetic linkage maps are an important tool in genetic and genomic research. In this study, two hawthorn cultivars, Qiujinxing and Damianqiu, and 107 progenies from a cross between them were used for constructing a high-density genetic linkage map using the 2b-restriction site-associated DNA (2b-RAD) sequencing method, as well as for mapping quantitative trait loci (QTL) for flavonoid content. In total, 206,411,693 single-end reads were obtained, with an average sequencing depth of 57× in the parents and 23× in the progeny. After quality trimming, 117,896 high-quality 2b-RAD tags were retained, of which 42,279 were polymorphic; of these, 12,951 markers were used for constructing the genetic linkage map. The map contained 17 linkage groups and 3,894 markers, with a total map length of 1,551.97 cM and an average marker interval of 0.40 cM. QTL mapping identified 21 QTLs associated with flavonoid content in 10 linkage groups, which explained 16.30-59.00% of the variance. This is the first high-density linkage map for hawthorn, which will serve as a basis for fine-scale QTL mapping and marker-assisted selection of important traits in hawthorn germplasm and will facilitate chromosome assignment for hawthorn whole-genome assemblies in the future.

Full Text Available Among the activities of the European Metrology Research Programme (EMRP project HiTeMS one work package is devoted to the development and testing of industrial solutions for long-standing temperature measurement problems at the highest temperatures. LNE-Cnam, NPL, TUBITAK-UME have worked on the design of high temperature fixed points (HTFP suitable for in-situ temperature monitoring to be implemented in the facilities of CEA (Commissariat à l’énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives. Several high temperature fixed point cells were constructed in these three national metrology institutes (NMIs using a rugged version of cells based on the hybrid design of the laboratory HTFP developed and continuously improved at LNE-Cnam during the last years. The fixed points of interest were Co-C, Ru-C and Re-C corresponding to melting temperatures of 1324 °C, 1953 °C and 2474 °C respectively. The cells were characterised at the NMIs after their construction. Having proved robust enough, they were transported to CEA and tested in an induction furnace and cycled from room temperature to temperatures much above the melting temperatures (> +400 °C with extremely high heating and cooling rates (up to 10 000 K/h. All the cells withstood the tests and the melting plateaus could be observed in all cases.

5,10-Bis(2',6'-dibromophenyl)porphyrins bearing various substituents at the 10 and 20 positions were demonstrated to be versatile synthons for modular construction of chiral porphyrins via palladium-catalyzed amidation reactions with chiral amides. The quadruple carbon-nitrogen bond formation reactions were accomplished in high yields with different chiral amide building blocks under mild conditions, forming a family of D2-symmetric chiral porphyrins. Cobalt(II) complexes of these chiral porphyrins were prepared in high yields and shown to be active catalysts for highly enantioselective and diastereoselective cyclopropanation under a practical one-pot protocol (alkenes as limiting reagents and no slow addition of diazo reagents).

The preparation of crystalline, ordered thin films of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) will be a critical process for MOF-based nanodevices in the future. MOF thin films with perfect orientation and excellent crystallinity were formed with novel nanosheet-structured components, Cu-TCPP [TCPP = 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-carboxyphenyl)porphyrin], by a new "modular assembly" strategy. The modular assembly process involves two steps: a "modularization" step is used to synthesize highly crystalline "modules" with a nanosized structure that can be conveniently assembled into a thin film in the following "assembly" step. With this method, MOF thin films can easily be set up on different substrates at very high speed with controllable thickness. This new approach also enabled us to prepare highly oriented crystalline thin films of MOFs that cannot be prepared in thin-film form by traditional techniques.

The paper deals with the issues in program management used for engineering innovative products. The existing project management tools were analyzed. The aim is to develop a decision support system that takes into account the features of program management used for high-tech products: research intensity, a high level of technical risks, unpredictable results due to the impact of various external factors, availability of several implementing agencies. The need for involving experts and using intelligent techniques for information processing is demonstrated. A conceptual model of common information space to support communication between members of the collaboration on high-tech programs has been developed. The structure and objectives of the information analysis system “Geokhod” were formulated with the purpose to implement the conceptual model of common information space in the program “Development and production of new class mining equipment - “Geokhod”.

The objective of this project is to develop a comprehensive, interdisciplinary, and quantitative characterization of a fluvial-deltaic reservoir which will allow realistic inter-well and reservoir-scale modeling to be developed for improved oil-field development in similar reservoirs world-wide. The geological and petrophysical properties of the Cretaceous Ferron Sandstone in east-central Utah will be quantitatively determined. Both new and existing data will be integrated into a three-dimensional representation of spatial variations in porosity, storativity, and tensorial rock permeability at a scale appropriate for inter-well to regional-scale reservoir simulation. Results could improve reservoir management through proper infill and extension drilling strategies, reduction of economic risks, increased recovery from existing oil fields, and more reliable reserve calculations. Transfer of the project results to the petroleum industry is an integral component of the project.

The goal of this paper is to generalize the well-balanced approach for non-equilibrium flow studied by Wang et al. [26] to a class of low dissipative high order shock-capturing filter schemes and to explore more advantages of well-balanced schemes in reacting flows. The class of filter schemes developed by Yee et al. [30], Sjoegreen & Yee [24] and Yee & Sjoegreen [35] consist of two steps, a full time step of spatially high order non-dissipative base scheme and an adaptive nonlinear filter containing shock-capturing dissipation. A good property of the filter scheme is that the base scheme and the filter are stand alone modules in designing. Therefore, the idea of designing a well-balanced filter scheme is straightforward, i.e., choosing a well-balanced base scheme with a well-balanced filter (both with high order). A typical class of these schemes shown in this paper is the high order central difference schemes/predictor-corrector (PC) schemes with a high order well-balanced WENO filter. The new filter scheme with the well-balanced property will gather the features of both filter methods and well-balanced properties: it can preserve certain steady state solutions exactly; it is able to capture small perturbations, e.g., turbulence fluctuations; it adaptively controls numerical dissipation. Thus it shows high accuracy, efficiency and stability in shock/turbulence interactions. Numerical examples containing 1D and 2D smooth problems, 1D stationary contact discontinuity problem and 1D turbulence/shock interactions are included to verify the improved accuracy, in addition to the well-balanced behavior.

We present preliminary results of computing nucleon form factor at high momentum transfer using the 'boosted' or 'momentum' smearing. We use gauge configurations generated with N f = 2 + 1dynamical Wilson-clover fermions and study the connected as well as disconnected contributions to the nucleon form factors. Our initial results indicate that boosted smearing helps to improve the signal for nucleon correlators at high momentum. However, we also find evidence for large excited state contributions, which will likely require variational analysis to isolate the boosted nucleon ground state.

High aerosol loading events, such as the Indonesia's forest fire in Fall 2015 or the persistent wintertime haze near Beijing, gain tremendous interests due to their large impact on regional visibility and air quality. Understanding the optical properties of these events and further being able to simulate and predict these events are beneficial. However, it is a great challenge to consistently identify and then retrieve aerosol optical depth (AOD) from passive sensors during heavy aerosol events. Some reasons include:1). large differences between optical properties of high-loading aerosols and those under normal conditions, 2) spectral signals of optically thick aerosols can be mistaken with surface depending on aerosol types, and 3) Extremely optically thick aerosol plumes can also be misidentified as clouds due to its high optical thickness. Thus, even under clear-sky conditions, the global distribution of extreme aerosol events is not well captured in datasets such as the MODIS Dark-Target (DT) aerosol product. In this study, with the synthetic use of OMI Aerosol Index, MODIS cloud product, and operational DT product, the heavy smoke events over the seven sea region are identified and retrieved over the dry season. An event based aerosol product that would compensate the standard "global" aerosol retrieval will be created and evaluated. The impact of missing high AOD retrievals on the regional aerosol climatology will be studied using this newly developed research product.

The toxicity of high salinity tannery wastewater produced after an activated sludge secondary treatment on the germination and seedling growth of Trifolium pratense, a species used as indicator in toxicity tests, was evaluated. Growth was inhibited by wastewater concentrations >25% and undiluted...

This dissertation chronicles my search to engage high school English students in inquiry as part of a formal research process. The perspective of critical literacy theory is used to describe the four phases of the problem posing process in shaping student research and action. Grounded in Freire's approach and consistent with Dewey and others who…

This article explores the figured world of learning at urban Oakcity High School, describing the learner identities that were available to students amid the practices, categories, discourses and interactions of this world. My aims are 2-fold and interconnected: (1) to reframe a taken-for-granted phenomenon--that students tend to do poorly at urban…

Domestic fluvial-dominated deltaic (FDD) reservoirs contain more than 30 Billion barrels (Bbbl) of remaining oil, more than any other type of reservoir, approximately one-third of which is in danger of permanent loss through premature field abandonments. The U.S. Department of Energy has placed its highest priority on increasing near-term recovery from FDD reservoirs in order to prevent abandonment of this important strategic resource. To aid in this effort, the Bureau of Economic Geology, The University of Texas at Austin, began a 46-month project in October, 1992, to develop and demonstrate advanced methods of reservoir characterization that would more accurately locate remaining volumes of mobile oil that could then be recovered by recompleting existing wells or drilling geologically targeted infill. wells. Reservoirs in two fields within the Frio Fluvial-Deltaic Sandstone (Vicksburg Fault Zone) oil play of South Texas, a mature play which still contains 1.6 Bbbl of mobile oil after producing 1 Bbbl over four decades, were selected as laboratories for developing and testing reservoir characterization techniques. Advanced methods in geology, geophysics, petrophysics, and engineering were integrated to (1) identify probable reservoir architecture and heterogeneity, (2) determine past fluid-flow history, (3) integrate fluid-flow history with reservoir architecture to identify untapped, incompletely drained, and new pool compartments, and (4) identify specific opportunities for near-term reserve growth. To facilitate the success of operators in applying these methods in the Frio play, geologic and reservoir engineering characteristics of all major reservoirs in the play were documented and statistically analyzed. A quantitative quick-look methodology was developed to prioritize reservoirs in terms of reserve-growth potential.

The objective of the Ferron Sandstone (Utah) project is to develop a comprehensive, interdisciplinary, quantitative characterization of a fluvial-deltaic reservoir to allow realistic interwell and reservoir-scale models to be developed for improved oil-field development in similar reservoirs world-wide. Both new and existing data is being integrated into a 3-D model of spatial variations in porosity, storativity, and tensorial rock permeability at a scale appropriate for inter-well to regional-scale reservoir simulation. Simulation results could improve reservoir management through proper infill and extension drilling strategies, reduction of economic risks, increased recovery from existing oil fields, and more reliable reserve calculations. The project is divided into four tasks: (1) regional stratigraphic analysis, (2) case studies, (3) reservoirs models, and (4) field-scale evaluation of exploration strategies. The primary objective of the regional stratigraphic analysis is to provide a more detailed interpretation of the stratigraphy and gross reservoir characteristics of the Ferron Sandstone as exposed in outcrop. The primary objective of the case-studies work is to develop a detailed geological and petrophysical characterization, at well-sweep scale or smaller, of the primary reservoir lithofacies typically found in a fluvial-dominated deltaic reservoir. Work on tasks 3 and 4 consisted of developing two- and three-dimensional reservoir models at various scales. The bulk of the work on these tasks is being completed primarily during the last year of the project, and is incorporating the data and results of the regional stratigraphic analysis and case-studies tasks.

To construct a highly sensitive detection system for endocrine disruptors, we have compared the activity of promoters with the ALK1, ICL1, RPS7 and TEF1 for heterologous gene in Yarrowia lipolytica. The promoters were introduced into the upstream of lacZ or hERalpha reporter gene, respectively, and the activity was evaluated by beta-galactosidase assay by lacZ or western blot analysis by hERalpha. The expression analysis revealed that the ALK1 and ICL1 promoter were induced by n-decane and by EtOH, respectively. The constitutive promoter of RPS7 and TEF1 showed mostly high level of expression in the presence of glucose and glycerol, respectively. Particularly, the TEF1 promoter showed the highest beta-galactosidase activity and a significant signal by western blotting with the anti-estrogen receptor compared with the other promoters. Moreover, the detection system was constructed with promoters were linked to the upstream of expression vector for hERalpha gene transformed into the Y. lipolytica with a chromosome-integrated lacZ reporter gene under the control of estrogen response elements (EREs). It was indicated that a combination of pTEF1p-hERalpha and CXAU1-2XERE was the most effective system for the E2-dependent induction of the beta-galactosidase activity. This system showed the highest beta-galactosidase activity at 10-6 M E2 and the activity could be detected at even the concentration of 10-10 M E2. As the result, we constructed a strongly sensitive detection system with Y. lipolitica to evaluate recognized/suspected ED chemicals, such as natural/synthetic hormones, pesticides, and commercial chemicals. The results demonstrate the utility, sensitivity and reproducibility of the system for characterizing environmental estrogens.

Full Text Available Abstract Background Genetic mapping and QTL detection are powerful methodologies in plant improvement and breeding. Construction of a high-density and high-quality genetic map would be of great benefit in the production of superior grapes to meet human demand. High throughput and low cost of the recently developed next generation sequencing (NGS technology have resulted in its wide application in genome research. Sequencing restriction-site associated DNA (RAD might be an efficient strategy to simplify genotyping. Combining NGS with RAD has proven to be powerful for single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP marker development. Results An F1 population of 100 individual plants was developed. In-silico digestion-site prediction was used to select an appropriate restriction enzyme for construction of a RAD sequencing library. Next generation RAD sequencing was applied to genotype the F1 population and its parents. Applying a cluster strategy for SNP modulation, a total of 1,814 high-quality SNP markers were developed: 1,121 of these were mapped to the female genetic map, 759 to the male map, and 1,646 to the integrated map. A comparison of the genetic maps to the published Vitis vinifera genome revealed both conservation and variations. Conclusions The applicability of next generation RAD sequencing for genotyping a grape F1 population was demonstrated, leading to the successful development of a genetic map with high density and quality using our designed SNP markers. Detailed analysis revealed that this newly developed genetic map can be used for a variety of genome investigations, such as QTL detection, sequence assembly and genome comparison.

Despite a proliferation of research, policies, and interventions aimed at mitigating inter-parental conflict after separation, approximately 10 percent of divorcing parents contend with ongoing legal disputes. Most research, policy discussion, and intervention is based on outsider-expert understandings that tend to categorize divorces as well as parents enmeshed in “high-conflict” in polarized and individualized terms. The purpose of my study is to understand how mothers and fathers who have ...

mushrooms (with side lengths of 7.6mm). Larger mushrooms (with side lengths of 16mm) were located to the edges of the substrate . The resulting...thickness and substrate permittivity are two of the main design parameters. But these parameters have production constraints, since they are ordered off...plane designs as a meta- substrate for a broadband bow-tie antenna were presented. Consequently, the high impedance ground plane provided a suitable

In this work the design aspects of a piezoelectric-based resonance ceramic pressure sensor made using low-temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) technology and designed for high-temperature applications is presented. The basic pressure-sensor structure consists of a circular, edge-clamped, deformable diaphragm that is bonded to a ring, which is part of the rigid ceramic structure. The resonance pressure sensor has an additional element – a piezoelectric actuator – for stimulating oscillation of ...

A composite casting/bonding technique has been developed for the fabrication of a unique air-cooled, high temperature radial inflow turbine wheel design applicable to auxilliary power units with small rotor diameters and blade entry heights. The 'split blade' manufacturing procedure employed is an alternative to complex internal ceramic coring. Attention is given to both aerothermodynamic and structural design, of which the latter made advantageous use of the exploration of alternative cooling passage configurations through CAD/CAM system software modification.

Abstract Background The advance in high-throughput genomic technologies including microarrays has demonstrated the potential of generating a tremendous amount of gene expression data for the entire genome. Deciphering transcriptional networks that convey information on intracluster correlations and intercluster connections of genes is a crucial analysis task in the post-sequence era. Most of the existing analysis methods for genome-wide gene expression profiles consist of several steps that o...

In the present study, we report on the combined efforts of material chemistry, engineering and biology as a systemic approach for the fabrication of high viability 3D printed macroporous gelatin methacrylamide constructs. First, we propose the use and optimization of VA-086 as a photo-initiator with enhanced biocompatibility compared to the conventional Irgacure 2959. Second, a parametric study on the printing of gelatins was performed in order to characterize and compare construct architectures. Hereby, the influence of the hydrogel building block concentration, the printing temperature, the printing pressure, the printing speed, and the cell density were analyzed in depth. As a result, scaffolds could be designed having a 100% interconnected pore network in the gelatin concentration range of 10-20 w/v%. In the last part, the fabrication of cell-laden scaffolds was studied, whereby the application for tissue engineering was tested by encapsulation of the hepatocarcinoma cell line (HepG2). Printing pressure and needle shape was revealed to impact the overall cell viability. Mechanically stable cell-laden gelatin methacrylamide scaffolds with high cell viability (>97%) could be printed.

Students have a tendency to see integral calculus as a series of procedures with associated algorithms and many do not develop a conceptual grasp giving them the desirable versatility of thought. Thus, instead of a proceptual view of the symbols in integration, they have, at best, a process-oriented view. On the other hand, it is not surprising that many students find concepts such as the integral difficult when they are unable to experience these processes directly in the classroom. With a view towards improving this situation, constructing the integral concept on the basis of the idea of accumulation has been proposed (Educ Stud Math. 1994;26:229-274; Integral as accumulation: a didactical perspective for school mathematics; Thessaloniki: PME; 2009. p. 417-424). In this paper, we discuss a curriculum that is based on this idea and a design for curriculum materials that are intended to develop an improved cognitive base for a flexible proceptual understanding of the integral and integration in high school. The main focus is on how we (mathematics teachers and mathematics educators) might teach the integral concept in order to help high school students to construct meaningful knowledge alongside acquiring technical abilities.

To invent a functional natto promoting bone formation, the construction of a strain with high productivity of vitamin K2 (menaquinone-7: MK-7), which is important in the carboxylation of a kind of bone protein participating in bone formation, osteocalcin, was investigated. To screen for a strain appropriate to making natto (a Japanese traditional fermented soybean food) with high productivity of MK-7, a combination of analog resistance to the compounds on the biosynthetic pathway of menaquinones with mutation was done. Consequently, strain OUV23481, with 2-fold higher productivity (1,719 microg/100 g natto) of MK-7 than that of a commercial strain, was constructed as a mutant with analog resistance to 1-hydroxy-2-naphthoic acid (HNA), p-fluoro-D,L-phenylalanine (pFP), m-fluoro-D,L-phenylalanine (mFP), and beta-2-thienylalanine (betaTA). This strain was classified as Bacillus subtilis (natto). The natto made using this strain was evaluated to have a good quality as natto in all the viewpoints of appearance, flavor, taste, texture, and stringiness.

A hybrid 3D bioprinting approach using porous microscaffolds and extrusion-based printing method is presented. Bioink constitutes of cell-laden poly(D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) porous microspheres with thin encapsulation of agarose-collagen composite hydrogel (AC hydrogel). Highly porous microspheres enable cells to adhere and proliferate before printing. Meanwhile, AC hydrogel allows a smooth delivery of cell-laden microspheres (CLMs), with immediate gelation of construct upon printing on cold build platform. Collagen fibrils were formed in the AC hydrogel during culture at body temperature, improving the cell affinity and spreading compared to pure agarose hydrogel. Cells were proven to proliferate in the bioink and the bioprinted construct. High cell viability up to 14 days was observed. The compressive strength of the bioink is more than 100 times superior to those of pure AC hydrogel. A potential alternative in tissue engineering of tissue replacements and biological models is made possible by combining the advantages of the conventional solid scaffolds with the new 3D bioprinting technology. PMID:27966623

.... D Appendix D to Part 2—Schedule for the Proceeding on Consideration of Construction Authorization... 10 Energy 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Schedule for the Proceeding on Consideration of Construction Authorization for a High-Level Waste Geologic Repository. D Appendix D to Part 2 Energy...

A high-precision forecasting and prospecting model incorporating the “field theory-field structure analysis-field simulation”, a temporal and spatial structural framework reflecting local extremely fine structures, is established to make an effective extraction and an integrated analysis of multivariate forecasting information. This model can best show not only the coupling between metallogenic anomalous structure, mineralized structure and information structure, but also the extraction, optimization, matching and summarization of key forecasting information. The technological keys to this model are the fine structural analysis of geological and geophysical and geochemical anomalous fields and metallogenic fields, and the establishment of occurrence patterns for the spatial location of orebodies.

The major goal of our research was to gain the ability in electrochemical synthesis to precisely control compositions and morphologies of various oxide-based polycrystalline photoelectrodes in order to establish the composition-morphology-photoelectrochemical property relationships while discovering highly efficient photoelectrode systems for use in solar energy conversion. Major achievements include: development of porous n-type BiVO{sub 4} photoanode for efficient and stable solar water oxidation; development of p-type CuFeO{sub 2} photocathode for solar hydrogen production; and junction studies on electrochemically fabricated p-n Cu{sub 2}O homojunction solar cells for efficiency enhancement.

.Result: Risk factors obtained over 0.5 for most of the risks that indicate the importance of Health in high-rise projects during construction phase. The results also showed that the health risks should be assessed before the start of the project in order to reduce or eliminate their impacts. .Conclusion: Safety risks in High-rise Building projects is very important. These risks have many impacts directly and indirectly on the time, quality and costs of projects. Therefore, evaluating and controlling each health risk in the design and implementation phases are essential. Most of the risks factors identified in this study, can be prevented by using personal protective equipment. The role of the training people involved in this projects are essential to use personal protective equipment.

In view of a possible extension of the forward CMS muon detector system and future LHC luminosity upgrades, Micro-Pattern Gas Detectors (MPGDs) are an appealing technology. They can simultaneously provide precision tracking and fast trigger information, as well as sufficiently fine segmentation to cope with high particle rates in the high-eta region at LHC and its future upgrades. We report on the design and construction of a full-size prototype for the CMS endcap system, the largest Triple-GEM detector built to-date. We present details on the 3D modeling of the detector geometry, the implementation of the readout strips and electronics, and the detector assembly procedure.

We presented a focal construct geometry (FCG) method for high intensity energy dispersive X-ray diffraction by utilizing a home-made ellipsoidal single-bounce capillary (ESBC) and a polycapillary parallel X-ray lens (PPXRL). The ESBC was employed to focus the X-rays from a conventional laboratory source into a small focal spot and to produce an annular X-ray beam in the far-field. Additionally, diffracted polychromatic X-rays were confocally collected by the PPXRL attached to a stationary energy-resolved detector. Our FCG method based on ESBC and PPXRL had achieved relatively high intensity diffraction peaks and effectively narrowed the diffraction peak width which was helpful in improving the potential d-spacing resolution for material phase analysis.

The constructions of internal conductive network are dependent on microstructures of conductive fillers, determining various electrical performances of composites. Here, we present the advanced graphite nanoplatelet-carbon nanotube hybrids/polydimethylsilicone (GCHs/PDMS) composites with high piezo-resistive performance. GCH particles were synthesized by the catalyst chemical vapor deposition approach. The synthesized GCHs can be well dispersed in the matrix through the mechanical blending process. Due to the exfoliated GNP and aligned CNTs coupling structure, the flexible composite shows an ultralow percolation threshold (0.64 vol %) and high piezo-resistive sensitivity (gauge factor ∼ 10(3) and pressure sensitivity ∼ 0.6 kPa(-1)). Slight motions of finger can be detected and distinguished accurately using the composite film as a typical wearable sensor. These results indicate that designing the internal conductive network could be a reasonable strategy to improve the piezo-resistive performance of composites.

Full Text Available Aim: The study was aimed to determine the validity and reliability of opium attitudes questionnaire. Method: 6108 of guidance school (3th grades and high school students filled the opium attitude questionnaire in all of the country. The validity of questionnaire assessed by group discrimination and confirmatory factor analysis method. Results: the results of group discrimination showed that the questions can be discriminated of past and current opium addicts and normal groups. On the basis of factor analysis results 5 factors extracted. These factors with consideration of literature review and loaded items content named: interest to consume, attitude to dangers, attitude to physiological effects, attitude to psychic effects, attitude to social effects to opium. Reliability of subscales examined by Cronbakh’s alpha. The minimum measure of reliability was 0.77 and maximum was 0.86. Altogether, the validity and reliability of questionnaire were satisfied. Conclusion: On the basis of present research results, opium attitude questionnaire is appropriate for assessing of students’ attitude to opium among guidance and high school students.

Full Text Available The paper discusses problems in the carrying out of construction projects in large urban agglomerations on the example of two structures located in Krakow. The location and the specifics of the work that had to be performed generated numerous technological and organisational problems. The manner of solving them, in addition to propositions of guidelines for similar projects are discussed in the paper.

A correlation was established between the quantity of deposits formed on the hot surfaces of gas turbine engines and the oil composition and material composition and corrosion behavior for those engine parts in contact with the oil. A test stand was designed for determining the effect of engine materials on deposit formation. Test results established that the strongest catalytic effects on the process of high-temperature deposit formation derive from copper, lead, and brass components. The metals were tested in a range of synthetic lubricating oils. Data were compared on interactions of the oils with a steel surface and were ranked in order of decreasing tendency to form deposits. Maximum working temperatures for the oils were determined. The effects of oil additives on deposition were also assessed.

The large heating rate inherent to implosion heating allows the rapid generation of high-beta tokamak plasmas. A study of these plasmas in the proposed HBT machine can give information on how MHD equilibrium and stability limit ..beta.. and q. Both a wide current profile and a moderate elongation of the minor cross section should help to raise the permissible peak ..beta.. values in HBT to at least 20 percent. The longer term loss processes occurring in MHD-stable plasmas are to be investigated. The main parameters of HBT are: R = 0.30 m, minor cross section a racetrack of width and height 0.24 m and 0.48 m, B/sub phi/ = 2 T, I/sub phi/ approximately 750 kA.

Full Text Available This paper reports the results of an empirical study undertaken with a sample of 368 undergraduate business administration students from five private universities in a large Brazilian city. The objective was to analyze the differences in perceptions of the course by students from high and low income backgrounds regarding the following issues: the cultural and symbolic elements involving higher education; the relevance of higher education in consumer priorities and the influence on consumption behavior of students; the appropriateness of the course to their reality; and the expected benefits of obtaining a degree. The data were analyzed using the Grade of Membership (GoM and t-test statistical techniques. The results, which were compared with the theoretical framework on consumption in a cultural and symbolic perspective, signaled there is a difference in meaning between the two groups of students.

Very high gravity (VHG) fermentation is aimed to considerably increase both the fermentation rate and the ethanol concentration, thereby reducing capital costs and the risk of bacterial contamination. This process results in critical issues, such as adverse stress factors (ie., osmotic pressure and ethanol inhibition) and high concentrations of metabolic byproducts which are difficult to overcome by a single breeding method. In the present paper, a novel strategy that combines metabolic engineering and genome shuffling to circumvent these limitations and improve the bioethanol production performance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains under VHG conditions was developed. First, in strain Z5, which performed better than other widely used industrial strains, the gene GPD2 encoding glycerol 3-phosphate dehydrogenase was deleted, resulting in a mutant (Z5ΔGPD2) with a lower glycerol yield and poor ethanol productivity. Second, strain Z5ΔGPD2 was subjected to three rounds of genome shuffling to improve its VHG fermentation performance, and the best performing strain SZ3-1 was obtained. Results showed that strain SZ3-1 not only produced less glycerol, but also increased the ethanol yield by up to 8% compared with the parent strain Z5. Further analysis suggested that the improved ethanol yield in strain SZ3-1 was mainly contributed by the enhanced ethanol tolerance of the strain. The differences in ethanol tolerance between strains Z5 and SZ3-1 were closely associated with the cell membrane fatty acid compositions and intracellular trehalose concentrations. Finally, genome rearrangements in the optimized strain were confirmed by karyotype analysis. Hence, a combination of genome shuffling and metabolic engineering is an efficient approach for the rapid improvement of yeast strains for desirable industrial phenotypes. PMID:22363590

Full Text Available Very high gravity (VHG fermentation is aimed to considerably increase both the fermentation rate and the ethanol concentration, thereby reducing capital costs and the risk of bacterial contamination. This process results in critical issues, such as adverse stress factors (ie., osmotic pressure and ethanol inhibition and high concentrations of metabolic byproducts which are difficult to overcome by a single breeding method. In the present paper, a novel strategy that combines metabolic engineering and genome shuffling to circumvent these limitations and improve the bioethanol production performance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains under VHG conditions was developed. First, in strain Z5, which performed better than other widely used industrial strains, the gene GPD2 encoding glycerol 3-phosphate dehydrogenase was deleted, resulting in a mutant (Z5ΔGPD2 with a lower glycerol yield and poor ethanol productivity. Second, strain Z5ΔGPD2 was subjected to three rounds of genome shuffling to improve its VHG fermentation performance, and the best performing strain SZ3-1 was obtained. Results showed that strain SZ3-1 not only produced less glycerol, but also increased the ethanol yield by up to 8% compared with the parent strain Z5. Further analysis suggested that the improved ethanol yield in strain SZ3-1 was mainly contributed by the enhanced ethanol tolerance of the strain. The differences in ethanol tolerance between strains Z5 and SZ3-1 were closely associated with the cell membrane fatty acid compositions and intracellular trehalose concentrations. Finally, genome rearrangements in the optimized strain were confirmed by karyotype analysis. Hence, a combination of genome shuffling and metabolic engineering is an efficient approach for the rapid improvement of yeast strains for desirable industrial phenotypes.

Since the start of operation of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN on 20 November 2009, the instantaneous luminosity is steadily increasing. The muon spectrometer of the ATLAS detector at the LHC is instrumented with trigger and precision tracking chambers in a toroidal magnetic field. Monitored Drift-Tube (MDT) chambers are employed as precision tracking chambers, complemented by Cathode Strip Chambers (CSC) in the very forward region where the background counting rate due to neutrons and γ's produced in shielding material and detector components is too high for the MDT chambers. After several upgrades of the CERN accelerator system over the coming decade, the instantaneous luminosity is expected to be raised to about five times the LHC design luminosity. This necessitates replacement of the muon chambers in the regions with the highest background radiation rates in the so-called Small Wheels, which constitute the innermost layers of the muon spectrometer end-caps, by new detectors with higher rate cap...

This thesis is a history of science education reform in Ontario, from 1880 to 1940. It examines successive eras of science education reform in secondary (pre-university) schools, including the rise of laboratory science; the spread of general science programs; and efforts to teach science "humanistically." This research considers the rhetorical strategies employed by scientists and educators to persuade educational policymakers and the public about the value and purpose of science education. Their efforts hinged in large part on building a moral framework for school science, which they promoted an essential stimulus to students' mental development and a check on the emotive influence of literature and the arts. These developments are placed in international context by examining how educational movements conceived in other places, especially the United States and Britain, were filtered and transformed in the distinct educational context of Ontario. Finally, the sometimes-blurry boundaries between "academic" science education and technical education are explored, most notably in Ontario in the late nineteenth century, when science education was undergoing a rapid, driven expansion in the province's high schools. This research contributes to a relatively recent body of literature that promotes a greater appreciation of pre-college science education -- an area that has often been overlooked in favour of higher education and the training of specialists -- as an important window onto the public perception of science.

Photon absorption, and thus current generation, is hindered in conventional thin-film solar cell designs, including quantum well structures, by the limited path length of incident light passing vertically through the device. Optical scattering into lateral waveguide structures provides a physical mechanism to increase photocurrent generation through in-plane light trapping. However, the insertion of wells of high refractive index material with lower energy gap into the device structure often results in lower voltage operation, and hence lower photovoltaic power conversion efficiency. The voltage output of an InGaAs quantum well waveguide photovoltaic device can be increased by employing a III-V material structure with an extended wide band gap emitter heterojunction. Analysis of the light IV characteristics reveals that non-radiative recombination components of the underlying dark diode current have been reduced, exposing the limiting radiative recombination component and providing a pathway for realizing solar-electric conversion efficiency of 30% or more in single junction cells.

Foil bearings were designed and fabricated to replace pivoted-shoe journal bearings in a Brayton cycle turboalternator, within space limitations and constraints imposed by the existing machine. The foil bearings were integrated into a unified assembly with the rotor, housing, seals, and gimbal-mounted thrust bearing, without changes and modifications of machine components other than the journal bearings. The gas-lubricated foil bearings, which require no external pressure-source, furnished a stable support for a 21.9 pound rotor in the vertical attitude at speeds to 43,200 rpm. Excellent wipe-wear characteristics permitted well over 1000 start-stop cycles, without deterioration of performance in the entire speed range. The paper reviews salient aspects of design, fabrication, and performance. An account is given of rotor dynamics during starting, stopping, and traversing the region of resonances. The state of journal and foil surfaces is examined following intensive start-stop cycling and high-speed runs over extended periods of time.

In order to monitor the neutron irradiation embrittlement of the reactor vessel material, the surveillance program should be implemented during the reactor operation through the plant life. This surveillance program requires the surveillance capsules which contain the various test specimens, thermal monitors, and neutron dosimeters. For PWRs in Korea, total six surveillance capsules are installed before plant operation and are programmed to be withdrawn and tested periodically in accordance with the surveillance program. The surveillance capsules are typically installed in the downcomer region and are located closer to the reactor core than the vessel wall in order to get more accelerated embrittlement characteristics of the vessel material. The supplemental surveillance capsules were fabricated to obtain the data of high-dose irradiation embrittlement. All test specimens in the capsules were made with the archive material of Hanbit Units 3 and 4. The supplemental capsules were designed to have the same outside dimensions as the capsules of Hanbit Unit 1 and were installed in Hanbit Unit 1. The withdrawal schedule will be calculated.

Herein, we describe a novel cloning strategy for PCR-amplified DNA which employs the type IIs restriction endonuclease BsaI to create a linearized vector with four base-long 5'-overhangs, and T4 DNA polymerase treatment of the insert in presence of a single dNTP to create vector-compatible four base-long overhangs. Notably, the insert preparation does not require any restriction enzyme treatment. The BsaI sites in the vector are oriented in such a manner that upon digestion with BsaI, a stuffer sequence along with both BsaI recognition sequences is removed. The sequence of the four base-long overhangs produced by BsaI cleavage were designed to be non-palindromic, non-compatible to each other. Therefore, only ligation of an insert carrying compatible ends allows directional cloning of the insert to the vector to generate a recombinant without recreating the BsaI sites. We also developed rapid protocols for insert preparation and cloning, by which the entire process from PCR to transformation can be completed in 6-8 h and DNA fragments ranging in size from 200 to 2200 bp can be cloned with equal efficiencies. One protocol uses a single tube for insert preparation if amplification is performed using polymerases with low 3'-exonuclease activity. The other protocol is compatible with any thermostable polymerase, including those with high 3'-exonuclease activity, and does not significantly increase the time required for cloning. The suitability of this method for high-throughput cloning was demonstrated by cloning batches of 24 PCR products with nearly 100% efficiency. The cloning strategy is also suitable for high efficiency cloning and was used to construct large libraries comprising more than 108 clones/µg vector. Additionally, based on this strategy, a variety of vectors were constructed for the expression of proteins in E. coli, enabling large number of different clones to be rapidly generated.

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: HIV transmission in rural areas of China is being fueled in part by migrant workers who acquire HIV outside of their hometowns. Recent surveillance statistics indicate that HIV prevalence among returning migrants has increased significantly. METHODS: We conducted a community-based cross-sectional study to assess HIV-related knowledge, attitudes and behaviors among migrant returnees in Nantong, Jiangsu Province, one of the largest exporters of migrant laborers. RESULTS: A total of 1625 subjects were enrolled with a response rate of 89%. All participants were male and of the majority Han ethnicity. The mean age was 39.0 years (SD = 6.7; range: 18 to 63, and most had a stable partner (N = 1533, 94.3%. Most correctly identified the major modes of HIV transmission (68.9%-82.0%, but fewer were able to identify ways that HIV cannot be transmitted. Nearly one-third of participants held positive attitudes toward having multiple sex partners, and nearly half believed that sex work should be legalized. Multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that risky sexual behavior (defined as sex with a casual or commercial sex partner was associated with no stable partner; working abroad; correct condom use; age <22 at first sex; higher coital frequency; and having a positive attitude towards multiple sex partners. CONCLUSIONS: We found high levels of reported sex with a casual or commercial sex partner and low levels of consistent condom use. HIV prevention interventions among migrant workers need to focus on younger migrants, migrants without stable partners, and migrants who travel abroad for work.

Full Text Available We present a network framework for analyzing multi-level regulation in higher eukaryotes based on systematic integration of various high-throughput datasets. The network, namely the integrated regulatory network, consists of three major types of regulation: TF→gene, TF→miRNA and miRNA→gene. We identified the target genes and target miRNAs for a set of TFs based on the ChIP-Seq binding profiles, the predicted targets of miRNAs using annotated 3'UTR sequences and conservation information. Making use of the system-wide RNA-Seq profiles, we classified transcription factors into positive and negative regulators and assigned a sign for each regulatory interaction. Other types of edges such as protein-protein interactions and potential intra-regulations between miRNAs based on the embedding of miRNAs in their host genes were further incorporated. We examined the topological structures of the network, including its hierarchical organization and motif enrichment. We found that transcription factors downstream of the hierarchy distinguish themselves by expressing more uniformly at various tissues, have more interacting partners, and are more likely to be essential. We found an over-representation of notable network motifs, including a FFL in which a miRNA cost-effectively shuts down a transcription factor and its target. We used data of C. elegans from the modENCODE project as a primary model to illustrate our framework, but further verified the results using other two data sets. As more and more genome-wide ChIP-Seq and RNA-Seq data becomes available in the near future, our methods of data integration have various potential applications.

本文结合塞拉利昂Lungi-Port loko项目工程实例，对高液限，高塑性土的施工性质作了简要分析，提出了此类土修筑道路底基层时的施工注意事项和改良方法。%Combining with the engineering experience from Lungi-Port Loko Highway project, this article makes a brief analysis on the construction property of high liquid limit and high plastic soil, and proposes the construction consideration and improvement methods in the road base construction with such kind of soil.

Part 2 of this Construction Guide to High-Performance Walls in Climate Zones 3-5 provides straightforward and cost-effective strategies to construct durable, energy-efficient walls. It addresses walls constructed with 2x4 wood frame studs, wood structural panel (WSP) sheathing as wall bracing and added backing for foam sheathing, a layer of rigid foam sheathing insulation up to 1.5 inches thick over the WSP, and a cladding system installed over the foam sheathing in low-rise residential buildings up to three stories high. Walls with 2x6 framing are addressed in Part 1 of the Guide.

A novel annular parallel-strip transmission line was devised to constructhigh-voltage high-speed pulse isolation transformers. The transmission lines can easily realize stable high-voltage operation and good impedance matching between primary and secondary circuits. The time constant for the step response of the transformer was calculated by introducing a simple low-frequency equivalent circuit model. Results show that the relation between the time constant and low-cut-off frequency of the transformer conforms to the theory of the general first-order linear time-invariant system. Results also show that the test transformer composed of the new transmission lines can transmit about 600 ps rise time pulses across the dc potential difference of more than 150 kV with insertion loss of -2.5 dB. The measured effective time constant of 12 ns agreed exactly with the theoretically predicted value. For practical applications involving the delivery of synchronized trigger signals to a dc high-voltage electron gun station, the transformer described in this paper exhibited advantages over methods using fiber optic cables for the signal transfer system. This transformer has no jitter or breakdown problems that invariably occur in active circuit components.

Constructed wetlands (CWs) have been widely used for treating wastewater. CWs also are the sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) due to high pollutant load. It has been reported that plant species diversity can enhance nitrogen (N) removal efficiency in CWs for treating wastewater. However, the influence of plant species diversity on GHG emissions from CWs in habitats with high N levels still lack research. This study established four species richness levels (1, 2, 3, 4) and 15 species compositions by using 75 simulated vertical flow CWs microcosms to investigate the effects of plant species diversity on the GHG emissions and N removal efficiency of CWs with a high N level. Results showed plant species richness reduced nitrous oxide (N2O) emission and N (NO3(-)-N, NH4(+)-N, and TIN) concentrations in wastewater, but had no effect on methane (CH4) emission. Especially, among the 15 compositions of plant species, the four-species mixture emitted the lowest N2O and had under-depletion of N (DminTIN CWs for treating wastewater with a high N level.

Combining with the architectural structure styles of the engineering gate and auxiliary project,in light of relevant contents of construction technology of high formwork bracing frame,the paper mainly introduces and analyzes the formwork design calculation,structural method,process acceptance and quality control and so on.Practice proves that meets the norms.Thus,it is worth promoting.%结合某工程大门楼及附属工程的建筑结构形式,针对高支模架施工技术的相关内容,重点对模架设计计算、构造做法、过程验收、质量控制等方面做了介绍和分析,经过实例验证均符合规范要求,值得推广使用。

With the domestic market to the outside world, Englishplays an important role in the market economy, in order to adapt to the de-velopment needs of the society and economy,construction of efficient high school English classroom,cultivate the students' language skills and communication skills,the training of personnel to meet the requirements of the development of society.%随着国内市场的对外开放，英语在市场经济中发挥着重要作用，为了适应社会经济的发展需求，构建高效的高中英语课堂，培养学生的语言运用能力和交际能力，使培养的人才满足社会的发展要求。

controls. Direct plant uptake constituted only up to 8% of the total-N removal and 2% of the P removal at the lowest loading rate, and was quantitatively of low importance compared to other removal processes. The significant effects of plants were therefore related more to their indirect effects...... subsurface flow system and a saturated vertical downflow system was established with planted and unplanted beds to assess the effects of system design and presence of plants on treatment performance. The systems were loaded with a mixture of domestic and pig farm wastewater at three hydraulic loading rates...... of 80, 160 and 320mmd-1. The S. sesban plants grew very well in the constructed wetland systems and produced 17.2-20.2kgdry matterm-2year-1 with a high nitrogen content. Mass removal rates and removal rate constants increased with loading rate, but at 320mmd-1 the effluent quality was unacceptable...

Although concept mapping has been shown to help students in meaningful learning, particularly when done as a collaborative activity, little has been done to understand the microprocesses during the activity itself. However, in order to be able to improve the activity as a teaching and learning heuristic, we have to know more about the microprocesses that constitute concept mapping as process and as product. This study was designed to investigate concept mapping as a means of assessing the quality of student understanding from two perspectives: the analysis of the process of constructing meaning and the analysis of the products of this cognitive activity. An interpretive research methodology was adopted for the construction of meaning from the data. Twenty-nine students from two sections of a senior level high school physics course participated in the study. The data sources included videotapes, their transcripts, and all concept maps produced. Students worked in collaborative groups during all of the concept mapping sessions. Individual concept mapping was assessed twice, once delayed by a week, another time delayed by 6 weeks. To assess what happened to the cognitive achievement as the context of concept mapping changed from collaborative to individual activity, we used a tracer. A tracer is some bit of knowledge, procedure, or action that allows the researcher to follow a task through various settings. The concept maps as products differed in their hierarchical organization, the number of links, and the benefit to the individual students. Three major processes emerged, which students used to arrive at suitable propositions. Students mediated propositions verbally and nonverbally, they took adversarial positions and appealed to authority, and they formed temporary alliances based on presumed expertise. Both product and process hold promise but also show some limitations. On the positive side, concept mapping led to sustained discourse on the topic and improved the

The research project "Plants, wood, steel, concrete - a lifecycle as construction materials" (ELWIRA) is in the framework of the Sparkling Science programme performed by the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences together with the Billroth Gymnasium in Vienna. The targets of a Sparkling Science project are twofold (a) research and scientific activities should already be transferred in the education methods of schools in order to fascinate high school students for scientific methods and to spark young people's interest in research, and (b) exciting research questions not solved and innovative findings should be addressed. The high school students work together with the scientists on their existing research questions improve the school's profile and the high school student knowledge in the investigated Sparkling Science topic and can lead to a more diverse viewing by the involvement of the high school students. In the project ELWIRA scientists collaborate with the school to quantify and evaluate the properties of classical building materials like concrete and natural materials like plants and woodlogs in terms of their life cycle through the use of different laboratory and field methods. The collaboration with the high school students is structured in workshops, laboratory work and fieldworks. For an efficient coordination/communication, learning and research progress new advanced electronic media like "Moodle classes/courses" have been used and utilized by the high school students with great interest. The Moodle classes are of high importance in the knowledge transfer in the dialogue with the high school students. The research project is structured into four main areas associated with the efficiencies of building materials: (a) the aesthetic feeling of people in terms of the appearance of materials and associated structures will be evaluated by means of jointly developed and collected questionnaires. The analysis, interpretation and evaluation are carried

Combining with the practice, the paper discusses the high-rise building construction features and status, rather comprehensively sum- marizes the high-rise building construction technology points including reverse construction technology, prefabrication plate technology, steel structure and pumping concrete technology, so as to strengthen the validity and effectiveness of the high-rise building construction.%结合实际论述了高层建筑施工的特征及现状，较全面地归纳了高层建筑施工技术要点，包括逆向施工技术、预制模板技术、钢结构及泵送混凝土技术，从而增强了高层建筑施工的有效性与实效性。

High-R wall assemblies (R-40 and above) are gaining popularity in the market due to programs like the DOE's Zero Energy Ready Home program, Passive House (PH), Net Zero Energy Home (NZEH) challenges in several states, and highly incentivized retrofit programs. In response to this demand, several builders have successfully used 'double wall' systems to more practically achieve higher R-values in thicker, framed walls. To builders of conventional stick-framed homes, often one of the most appealing features of double wall systems is that there are very few new exterior details. Exterior sheathing, structural bracing, house wrap or building paper, window and door flashing, and siding attachment are usually identical to good details in conventional framed wall systems. The information presented in this guide is intended to reduce the risk of failure in these types of assemblies, increase durability, and result in a reduction of material brought to landfills due to failures and resulting decay. While this document focuses on double wall framing techniques, the majority of the information on how to properly construct and finish high R-value assemblies is applicable to all wall assemblies that do not have foam insulation installed on the exterior of the structural sheathing. The techniques presented have been shown through field studies to reduce the likelihood of mold growth and moisture related damage and are intended for builders, framing contractors, architects, and consultants involved in designing and building super insulated homes.

High-R wall assemblies (R-40 and above) are gaining popularity in the market due to programs like the DOE's Zero Energy Ready Home program, Passive House (PH), Net Zero Energy Home (NZEH) challenges in several states, and highly incentivized retrofit programs. In response to this demand, several builders have successfully used 'double wall' systems to more practically achieve higher R-values in thicker, framed walls. To builders of conventional stick-framed homes, often one of the most appealing features of double wall systems is that there are very few new exterior details. Exterior sheathing, structural bracing, house wrap or building paper, window and door flashing, and siding attachment are usually identical to good details in conventional framed wall systems. The information presented in this guide is intended to reduce the risk of failure in these types of assemblies, increase durability, and result in a reduction of material brought to landfills due to failures and resulting decay. While this document focuses on double wall framing techniques, the majority of the information on how to properly construct and finish high R-value assemblies is applicable to all wall assemblies that do not have foam insulation installed on the exterior of the structural sheathing. The techniques presented have been shown through field studies to reduce the likelihood of mold growth and moisture related damage and are intended for builders, framing contractors, architects, and consultants involved in designing and building super insulated homes.

Degradation of anionic and nonionic surfactants in a constructed wetland with horizontal subsurface flow was studied using high performance liquid chromatography and extraction spectrophotometry. The ratio of individual homologues of linear alkylbenzene sulfonates (LAS) and the efficiency of their removal were studied. Tridecyl-, dodecyl-, undecyl-, and decylbenzene sulfonates were removed with efficiencies of 92.9%, 84.3%, 64.7%, and 41.1%, respectively. These differences are due to sequential shortening of the alkyl chain in homologues during degradation (the higher homologue can provide the lower one). The formation of sulfophenyl carboxylic acids during ω-oxidation of the alkyl chain followed by successive α- and/or β-oxidation is also a possible mechanism for removal of LAS. Solid phase extraction using Chromabond® HR-P columns was used for preconcentration of the analytes prior to their determination by HPLC. Methylene blue active compounds were determined using extraction spectrophotometry. The average efficiency of their removal was 84.9% in this case. The efficiency of nonionic surfactant removal (98.2%) was significantly higher in comparison to that for anionic surfactants. The concentration of the endocrine disruptor nonylphenol (a product of nonylphenol polyethoxylate surfactant degradation) determined in the profile of the wetland was beneath the limit of detection (0.4 μg/L). The average outflow concentrations of anionic and nonionic surfactants determined by spectrophotometry were 0.54 and 0.021 mg/L, respectively. The average outflow concentrations of decyl- and tridecylbenzene sulfonates determined by HPLC were 0.195 and 0.015 mg/L. Efficiencies of 86.4% and 92.2% were obtained for removal of organic compounds as indicated by chemical and biochemical oxygen demand (COD(Cr) and BOD(5)). These results demonstrate the suitability of the constructed wetland for degrading surface-active compounds.

As the field of tissue engineering develops, researchers are faced with a large number of degrees of freedom regarding the choice of material, architecture, seeding, and culturing. To evaluate the effectiveness of a tissue-engineered strategy, histology is typically done by physically slicing and staining a construct (crude, time-consuming, and unreliable). However, due to recent advances in high-resolution biomedical imaging, microcomputed tomography (μCT) has arisen as a quick and effective way to evaluate samples, while preserving their structure in the original state. However, a major barrier for using μCT to do histology has been its inability to differentiate between materials with similar X-ray attenuation. Various contrasting strategies (hardware and chemical staining agents) have been proposed to address this problem, but at a cost of additional complexity and limited access. Instead, here we suggest a strategy for how virtual 3D histology in silico can be conducted using conventional μCT, and we provide an illustrative example from bone tissue engineering. The key to our methodology is an implementation of scaffold surface architecture that is ordered in relation to cells and tissue, in concert with straightforward image-processing techniques, to minimize the reliance on contrasting for material segmentation. In the case study reported, μCT was used to image and segment porous poly(lactic acid) nonwoven fiber mesh scaffolds that were seeded dynamically with mesenchymal stem cells and cultured to produce soft tissue and mineralized tissue in a flow perfusion bioreactor using an osteogenic medium. The methodology presented herein paves a new way for tissue engineers to identify and distinguish components of cell/tissue/scaffold constructs to easily and effectively evaluate the tissue-engineering strategies that generate them.

The development of scaffolding for evaluation instrument construction training program on the cognitive domain for senior high school physics teacher and the same level that is specified in the test instrument has been done. This development was motivated by the low ability of the majority of physics teachers in constructing the physics learning achievement test. This situation not in accordance with the demands of Permendiknas RI no. 16 tahun 2007 concerning the standard of academic qualifications and competence of teachers, stating that teachers should have a good ability to develop instruments for assessment and evaluation of process and learning outcomes. Based on the preliminary study results, it can be seen that the main cause of the inability of teachers in developing physics achievement test is because they do not good understand of the indicators for each aspect of cognitive domains. Scaffolding development is done by using the research and development methods formulated by Thiagarajan which includes define, design and develope steps. Develop step includes build the scaffolding, validation of scaffolding by experts and the limited pilot implementations on the training activities. From the build scaffolding step, resulted the scaffolding for the construction of test instruments training program which include the process steps; description of indicators, operationalization of indicators, construction the itemsframework (items scenarios), construction the items stem, construction the items and checking the items. The results of the validation by three validator indicates that the built scaffolding are suitable for use in the construction of physics achievement test training program, especially for novice. The limited pilot implementation of the built scaffolding conducted in training activities attended by 10 senior high school physics teachers in Garut district. The results of the limited pilot implementation shows that the built scaffolding have a medium

Full Text Available Abstract Background The Gram-negative bacterium Chlamydia pneumoniae (Cpn is the leading intracellular human pathogen responsible for respiratory infections such as pneumonia and bronchitis. Basic and applied research in pathogen biology, especially the elaboration of new mechanism-based anti-pathogen strategies, target discovery and drug development, rely heavily on the availability of the entire set of pathogen open reading frames, the ORFeome. The ORFeome of Cpn will enable genome- and proteome-wide systematic analysis of Cpn, which will improve our understanding of the molecular networks and mechanisms underlying and governing its pathogenesis. Results Here we report the construction of a comprehensive gene collection covering 98.5% of the 1052 predicted and verified ORFs of Cpn (Chlamydia pneumoniae strain CWL029 in Gateway® ‘entry’ vectors. Based on genomic DNA isolated from the vascular chlamydial strain CV-6, we constructed an ORFeome library that contains 869 unique Gateway® entry clones (83% coverage and an additional 168 PCR-verified ‘pooled’ entry clones, reaching an overall coverage of ~98.5% of the predicted CWL029 ORFs. The high quality of the ORFeome library was verified by PCR-gel electrophoresis and DNA sequencing, and its functionality was demonstrated by expressing panels of recombinant proteins in Escherichia coli and by genome-wide protein interaction analysis for a test set of three Cpn virulence factors in a yeast 2-hybrid system. The ORFeome is available in different configurations of resource stocks, PCR-products, purified plasmid DNA, and living cultures of E. coli harboring the desired entry clone or pooled entry clones. All resources are available in 96-well microtiterplates. Conclusion This first ORFeome library for Cpn provides an essential new tool for this important pathogen. The high coverage of entry clones will enable a systems biology approach for Cpn or host–pathogen analysis. The high yield of

Herein, we describe a novel cloning strategy for PCR-amplified DNA which employs the type IIs restriction endonuclease BsaI to create a linearized vector with four base-long 5′-overhangs, and T4 DNA polymerase treatment of the insert in presence of a single dNTP to create vector-compatible four base-long overhangs. Notably, the insert preparation does not require any restriction enzyme treatment. The BsaI sites in the vector are oriented in such a manner that upon digestion with BsaI, a stuffer sequence along with both BsaI recognition sequences is removed. The sequence of the four base-long overhangs produced by BsaI cleavage were designed to be non-palindromic, non-compatible to each other. Therefore, only ligation of an insert carrying compatible ends allows directional cloning of the insert to the vector to generate a recombinant without recreating the BsaI sites. We also developed rapid protocols for insert preparation and cloning, by which the entire process from PCR to transformation can be completed in 6–8 h and DNA fragments ranging in size from 200 to 2200 bp can be cloned with equal efficiencies. One protocol uses a single tube for insert preparation if amplification is performed using polymerases with low 3′-exonuclease activity. The other protocol is compatible with any thermostable polymerase, including those with high 3′-exonuclease activity, and does not significantly increase the time required for cloning. The suitability of this method for high-throughput cloning was demonstrated by cloning batches of 24 PCR products with nearly 100% efficiency. The cloning strategy is also suitable for high efficiency cloning and was used to construct large libraries comprising more than 108 clones/µg vector. Additionally, based on this strategy, a variety of vectors were constructed for the expression of proteins in E. coli, enabling large number of different clones to be rapidly generated. PMID:25360695

The present study reports the large-scale discovery of genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in chickpea, identified mainly through the next generation sequencing of two genotypes, i.e. Cicer arietinum ICC4958 and its wild progenitor C. reticulatum PI489777, parents of an inter-specific reference mapping population of chickpea. Development and validation of a high-throughput SNP genotyping assay based on Illumina's GoldenGate Genotyping Technology and its application in building a high-resolution genetic linkage map of chickpea is described for the first time. In this study, 1022 SNPs were identified, of which 768 high-confidence SNPs were selected for designing the custom Oligo Pool All (CpOPA-I) for genotyping. Of these, 697 SNPs could be successfully used for genotyping, demonstrating a high success rate of 90.75%. Genotyping data of the 697 SNPs were compiled along with those of 368 co-dominant markers mapped in an earlier study, and a saturated genetic linkage map of chickpea was constructed. One thousand and sixty-three markers were mapped onto eight linkage groups spanning 1808.7 cM (centiMorgans) with an average inter-marker distance of 1.70 cM, thereby representing one of the most advanced maps of chickpea. The map was used for the synteny analysis of chickpea, which revealed a higher degree of synteny with the phylogenetically close Medicago than with soybean. The first set of validated SNPs and map resources developed in this study will not only facilitate QTL mapping, genome-wide association analysis and comparative mapping in legumes but also help anchor scaffolds arising out of the whole-genome sequencing of chickpea.

The objective of the China Digital Human Project (CDH) is to digitize and visualize the anatomical structures of human body. In the project, a database with information of morphology, physical charac-teristics and physiological function will be constructed. The raw data of CDH which was completed in the Southern Medical University is employed. In Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), the frozen section images are preprocessed, segmented, labeled in accordance with the major organs and tissues of human beings, and reconstructed into three-dimensional (3D) models in parallel on high performance computing clusters (HPC). Some visualization software for 2D atlas and 3D mod-els are developed based on the new dataset with high resolution (0.1 mm×0.1 mm×0.2 mm). In order to share, release and popularize the above work, a website (www.vch.org.cn) is online. The dataset is one of the most important parts in the national information database and the medical infrastructure.

A possibility to constructhigh-intensity tunable monochromatic{gamma}-source at high energy storage rings is discussed. It is proposed to produce {gamma}-quanta by means of Compton backscattering of laser photons on electrons circulating in the storage. The laser light wavelength is chosen in such a way that after the scattering, the electron does not leave the separatrix. So as the probability of the scattering is rather small, energy oscillations are damped prior the next scattering. As a result, the proposed source can operate in {open_quotes}parasitic{close_quote} mode not interfering with the main mode of the storage ring operation. Analysis of parameters of existent storage rings (PETRA, ESRF, Spring-8, etc) shows that the laser light wavelength should be in infrared, {lambda}{approximately} 10 - 400 {mu}m, wavelength band. Installation at storage rings of tunable free-electron lasers with the peak and average output power {approximately} 10 MW and {approximately} 1 kW, respectively, will result in the intensity of the {gamma}-source up to {approximately} 10{sup 14}s{sup -1} with tunable {gamma}-quanta energy from several MeV up to several hundreds MeV. Such a {gamma}-source will reveal unique possibilities for precision investigations in nuclear physics.

There is an increasing need for more efficient generation of transgenic constructs. Here we present a universal multi-site Gateway vector for use in recombineering reactions. Using transgenic mouse models, we show its use for the generation of BAC transgenics and targeting vectors. The modular nature of the vector allows for rapid modification of constructs to generate different versions of the same construct. As such it will help streamline the generation of series of related transgenic models.

Ruapehu is an active 150 km3 andesite-dacite composite volcano located at the southern end of the Taupo Volcanic Zone, New Zealand. The growth of the present-day edifice has occurred throughout coeval eruptive and glacial histories since 200 ka. We present high-precision 40Ar/39Ar eruption ages for 46 samples and whole-rock major element geochemical data for 238 samples from lava flows. These new and existing data are interpreted in the context of geomorphologic and geologic mapping, volcano-ice interaction processes and glacier reconstructions to present an improved chronostratigraphic framework and new edifice evolution history for Ruapehu. Sub-glacial to ice-marginal effusive eruption of medium-K basaltic-andesites and andesites constructed the northern portion of the exposed edifice between 200 and 150 ka, and a wide southeast planèze as well as parts of the northern, eastern and western flanks between 160 and 80 ka. None of the dated lava flows have ages in the range of 80-50 ka, which may reflect an eruptive hiatus. Alternatively the lack of ages may be the result of erosion and burial of lavas and syn-eruptive glacial conveyance of lava flows to the ring-plain during glacial advance at 70-60 ka. From 50-15 ka edifice growth occurred via effusive eruptions onto the glaciated flanks of the volcano, resulting in construction of ice-bounded planèzes and ridges. The distribution of dated ice-marginal lavas indicates a general decrease in glacier thicknesses over this time, except for a short-lived period centred at 31 ka when peak ice cover was reached. The compositional ranges of medium- to high-K andesite and dacite lava flows within 50-35 ka eruptive packages define broadly bimodal high- and low-MgO trends. Lavas erupted at 35-22 ka have compositions that fill a transitional geochemical field between older dacites and younger andesites. Large-scale retreat of flank glaciers since 15 ka has resulted in intra-valley lava flow emplacement at elevations below

A prebuilt fireplace construction for installation in a building structure, such as a mobile home, is presented. The construction includes a firebox having an open side and a combustion gas outlet adapted to be placed in fluid communication with a flue. A transparent door is provided for substantially sealing the open side and a housing at least partially surrounds the firebox in close proximity thereto to define an air space therebetween. The air space has a relatively low inlet and a relatively high outlet. A conduit isolated from the air space is provided and is adapted to be placed in fluid communication with a source of outside air. The conduit opens into the firebox to provide combustion air. A baffle is interposed between the opening of the conduit into the firebox and the combustion area thereof.

AIM: To investigate the gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) in people from lowland to high altitude and in workers on Mountain Tanggula and its causes as well as treatment and prophylaxis.METHODS: From 2001 to October 2003, we studied GIB in 13 502 workers constructing the railroad on Mountain Tanggula which is 4905 m above the sea level. The incidence of GIB in workers at different altitudes was recorded. Endoscopy was performed when the workersevacuated to Golmud (2808 m) and Xining (2261 m).The available data on altitude GIB were analyzed.RESULTS: The overall incidence of GIB was 0.49% in 13502 workers. The incidence increased with increasing altitude. The onset of symptoms in most patients was within three weeks after arrival at high altitude. Bleeding manifested as hematemesis, melaena or hematochezia,and might be occult. Endoscopic examination showed that the causes of altitude GIB included hemorrhage gastritis, gastric ulcer, duodenal ulcer, and gastric erosion. Experimental studies suggested that acute gastric mucosal lesion (AGML) could be induced by hypoxic and cold stress, which might be the pathogenesis of altitude GIB. Those who consumed large amount of alcohol, aspirin or dexamethasone were at a higher risk of developing GIB. Persons who previously suffered from peptic ulcer or high-altitude polycythemia were also at risk of developing GIB. Early diagnosis, evacuation, and treatment led to early recovery.CONCLUSION: GIB is a potentially life threatening disease, if it is not treated promptly and effectively. Early diagnosis, treatment and evacuation lead to an early recovery. Death due to altitude GIB can be avoided if early symptoms and signs are recognized.

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • The structural and optical characterizations of ZnO nanoflowers were carried out on ITO by hydrothermal method. • Dye sensitized solar cell based ZnO nanoflowers were constructed on substrate. • The surface morphology effect on quantum efficiency and solar conversion efficiency were investigated. - Abstract: 3-dimensional ZnO nanoflower were obtained on FTO (F:SnO{sub 2}) substrate by hydrothermal method in order to produce high efficiency dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). We showed that nanoflowers structures have nanoscale branches that stretch to fill gaps on the substrate and these branches of nano-leaves provide both a larger surface area and a direct pathway for electron transport along the channels. It was found that the solar conversion efficiency and quantum efficiency (QE) or incident photon to current conversion efficiencies (IPCE) is highly dependent on nanoflower surface due to high electron injection process. The highest solar conversion efficiency of 5.119 and QE of 60% was obtained using ZnO nanoflowers/N719 dye/I{sup −}/I{sup −}{sub 3} electrolyte. In this study, three dimensional (3D)-nanoflower and one dimensional (1D)-nanowires ZnO nanostructures were also compared against each other in respect to solar conversion efficiency and QE measurements. In the case of the 1D-ZnO nanowire conversion efficiency (η) of 2.222% and IPCE 47% were obtained under an illumination of 100 mW/cm{sup 2}. It was confirmed that the performance of the 3D-nanoflowers was better than about 50% that of the 1D-nanowire dye-sensitized solar cells.

Full Text Available Despite the agronomical importance and high synteny with other Prunus species, breeding improvements for cherry have been slow compared to other temperate fruits, such as apple or peach. However, the recent release of the peach genome v1.0 by the International Peach Genome Initiative and the sequencing of cherry accessions to identify Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs provide an excellent basis for the advancement of cherry genetic and genomic studies. The availability of dense genetic linkage maps in phenotyped segregating progenies would be a valuable tool for breeders and geneticists. Using two sweet cherry (Prunus avium L. intra-specific progenies derived from crosses between 'Black Tartarian' × 'Kordia' (BT×K and 'Regina' × 'Lapins'(R×L, high-density genetic maps of the four parental lines and the two segregating populations were constructed. For BT×K and R×L, 89 and 121 F(1 plants were used for linkage mapping, respectively. A total of 5,696 SNP markers were tested in each progeny. As a result of these analyses, 723 and 687 markers were mapped into eight linkage groups (LGs in BT×K and R×L, respectively. The resulting maps spanned 752.9 and 639.9 cM with an average distance of 1.1 and 0.9 cM between adjacent markers in BT×K and R×L, respectively. The maps displayed high synteny and co-linearity between each other, with the Prunus bin map, and with the peach genome v1.0 for all eight LGs (LG1-LG8. These maps provide a useful tool for investigating traits of interest in sweet cherry and represent a qualitative advance in the understanding of the cherry genome and its synteny with other members of the Rosaceae family.

Despite the agronomical importance and high synteny with other Prunus species, breeding improvements for cherry have been slow compared to other temperate fruits, such as apple or peach. However, the recent release of the peach genome v1.0 by the International Peach Genome Initiative and the sequencing of cherry accessions to identify Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) provide an excellent basis for the advancement of cherry genetic and genomic studies. The availability of dense genetic linkage maps in phenotyped segregating progenies would be a valuable tool for breeders and geneticists. Using two sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) intra-specific progenies derived from crosses between ‘Black Tartarian’ × ‘Kordia’ (BT×K) and ‘Regina’ × ‘Lapins’(R×L), high-density genetic maps of the four parental lines and the two segregating populations were constructed. For BT×K and R×L, 89 and 121 F1 plants were used for linkage mapping, respectively. A total of 5,696 SNP markers were tested in each progeny. As a result of these analyses, 723 and 687 markers were mapped into eight linkage groups (LGs) in BT×K and R×L, respectively. The resulting maps spanned 752.9 and 639.9 cM with an average distance of 1.1 and 0.9 cM between adjacent markers in BT×K and R×L, respectively. The maps displayed high synteny and co-linearity between each other, with the Prunus bin map, and with the peach genome v1.0 for all eight LGs (LG1–LG8). These maps provide a useful tool for investigating traits of interest in sweet cherry and represent a qualitative advance in the understanding of the cherry genome and its synteny with other members of the Rosaceae family. PMID:23382953

The objective of the Ferron Sandstone project is to develop a comprehensive, interdisciplinary, quantitative characterization of a fluvial-deltaic reservoir to allow realistic interwell and reservoir-scale models to be developed for improved oil-field development in similar reservoirs world-wide. Quantitative geological and petrophysical information on the Cretaceous Ferron Sandstone in east-central Utah was collected. Both new and existing data is being integrated into a three-dimensional model of spatial variations in porosity, storativity, and tensorial rock permeability at a scale appropriate for inter-well to regional-scale reservoir simulation. Simulation results could improve reservoir management through proper infill and extension drilling strategies, reduction of economic risks, increased recovery from existing oil fields, and more reliable reserve calculations. Transfer of the project results to the petroleum industry is an integral component of the project. This report covers research activities for fiscal year 1994-95, the second year of the project. Most work consisted of developing field methods and collecting large quantities of existing and new data. We also continued to develop preliminary regional and case-study area interpretations. The project is divided into four tasks: (1) regional stratigraphic analysis, (2) case studies, (3) reservoirs models, and (4) field-scale evaluation of exploration strategies.

For the first time, the dual isotope approach was applied to trace the sources of impacts and to identify the governing biogeochemical processes in a river network in the tropical deltaic region of the Red River (Vietnam). Our long term surveys concluded that water in this river network was severely impacted by anthropogenic activities. Analysis has shown strong spatio-temporal variation of nitrate isotopes; ranges of δ(15)N-[Formula: see text] and δ(18)O-[Formula: see text] were from -5 to 15 ‰ and from -10 to 10 ‰, respectively. Average values of δ(15)N-[Formula: see text] and δ(18)O-[Formula: see text] in the dry season, when fertilizer is applied, were 3.54 and 3.15 ‰, respectively. In the rainy season, the values changed to 6.41 and -2.23 ‰, respectively. Denitrification and biological assimilation were active throughout the year, but were especially enhanced during fertilization time. Mineralization of domestic organic matter and consequent nitrification of mineralized [Formula: see text] were the dominant processes, particularly during the rainy period.

The Oklahoma Geological Survey (OGS), the Geological Information Systems department, and the School of Petroleum and Geological Engineering at the University of Oklahoma are engaging in a program to identify and address Oklahoma`s oil recovery opportunities in fluvial-dominated deltaic (FDD) reservoirs. This program includes the systematic and comprehensive collection and evaluation of information on all of Oklahoma`s FDD reservoirs and the recovery technologies that have been (or could be) applied to those reservoirs with commercial success. This data collection and evaluation effort will be the foundation for an aggressive, multifaceted technology transfer program that is designed to support all of Oklahoma`s oil industry, with particular emphasis on smaller companies and independent operators in their attempts to maximize the economic producibility of FDD reservoirs. Specifically, this project will identify all FDD oil reservoirs in the State; group those reservoirs into plays that have similar depositional and subsequent geologic histories; collect, organize and analyze all available data; conduct characterization and simulation studies on selected reservoirs in each play; and implement a technology transfer program targeted to the operators of FDD reservoirs to sustain the life expectancy of existing wells with the ultimate objective of increasing oil recovery.

Full Text Available Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy and reliability of a low-energy femtosecond laser with a high repetition rate for construction of deep anterior donor corneal lamellae. Methods: This was a prospective laboratory investigation. Twenty-five human corneal buttons were femtosecond laser cut to create thick anterior lamellae (diameter, 10mm; thickness, 500µm. The laser cuts were made using an LDV® femtosecond laser in a Ziemer® anterior chamber. To obtain a better edge, the lamellae were trephined with an 8mm trephine (Katena®. The central corneal thickness and the anterior lamellae were measured using a Mitutoyo® thickness gauge with an accuracy of 0.001mm. Results: The central thickness of the 25 corneas ranged from 500 to 705µm (mean, 584 ± 51µm. The thickness of the anterior lamellae ranged from 420 to 480µm (mean, 455 ± 12.7µm. The anterior lamellae diameters were 7.90 ± 0.1mm, and all laser cuts were round. The lamellar interfaces appeared regular by surgical microscopy. There were no cases of inter-lamellar adhesion. Conclusion: The LDV® femtosecond laser appears to be a safe and reliable instrument for cutting deep anterior lamellae from donor corneoscleral buttons. Minimal variation in donor lamellar depth with the laser will be useful for creating donor corneal tissue for deeper anterior lamellar keratoplasty or endothelial keratoplasty surgery or both from a single donor cornea.

ZnO nanosheet arrays with exposed (001) facets have been constructed onto a biomimetic inner-motile film, using a seed-mediated hydrothermal growth technology without adding capping agents. The growth of ZnO nanoparticles along the [001] direction is impeded because of a physical steric hindrance, and therefore (001) planes are left behind as the dominant crystal facets. In comparison to ZnO nanorod arrays film, the photocatalytic activity of the actuated (001) facets exposed ZnO nanosheet arrays film is dramatically improved to approximately 2.48 times. Moreover, when it is subjected to a rotational magnetic field, the ZnO nanosheet arrays film is driven to mimic ciliary motion like nature beating cilia, which can boost the interior mass transfer and help to promote release of active sites for improving the photocatalytic activity. As a consequence of the exposed (001) high active facets, the singular ability of microfluidic manipulation has greater effect on ZnO nanosheet arrays films. The enhancement of photocatalytic activity of the actuated ZnO nanosheet arrays film is much more than that of ZnO nanorod arrays film.

The amplification of DNA fragments, cloned between user-defined 5' and 3' end sequences, is a prerequisite step in the use of many current applications including massively parallel sequencing (MPS). Here we describe an improved method, called homopolymer tail-mediated ligation PCR (HTML-PCR), that requires very little starting template, minimal hands-on effort, is cost-effective, and is suited for use in high-throughput and robotic methodologies. HTML-PCR starts with the addition of homopolymer tails of controlled lengths to the 3' termini of a double-stranded genomic template. The homopolymer tails enable the annealing-assisted ligation of a hybrid oligonucleotide to the template's recessed 5' ends. The hybrid oligonucleotide has a user-defined sequence at its 5' end. This primer, together with a second primer composed of a longer region complementary to the homopolymer tail and fused to a second 5' user-defined sequence, are used in a PCR reaction to generate the final product. The user-defined sequences can be varied to enable compatibility with a wide variety of downstream applications. We demonstrate our new method by constructing MPS libraries starting from nanogram and sub-nanogram quantities of Vibrio cholerae and Streptococcus pneumoniae genomic DNA.

With the discovery of tumor-associated antigens such as ErbB2, vaccination is considered as a promising strategy to prevent the development of cancer or treat the existing disease. Among routes of immunization, the respiratory route provides the opportunity to develop non-invasive approach for vaccine delivery. In the current study, this administration route was used in order to investigate the potency of a highly versatile di-epitopic liposomal construct to exhibit local or distant antitumoral efficiency after prophylactic or therapeutic vaccination in mice. Well-characterized liposomes, containing the ErbB2 (p63-71) TCD8(+) and HA (p307-319) TCD4(+) peptide epitopes and the Pam2CAG adjuvant, were formulated and administered into the airway of naïve BALB/c mice. The nanoparticle vaccine candidate induced local and specific systemic immune response, as measured by immune cell infiltration and chemokine and cytokine production in BALF or lung tissue, and by spleen T-cell activation ex vivo, respectively. This potent immune response resulted in an efficient antitumor activity against both lung and solid s.c. tumors. Interestingly, the antitumor efficacy was observed after both prophylactic and therapeutic vaccinations, which are the most judicious ones to fight cancer. Our data showed an undeniable interest of liposomal peptide-based vaccines in antitumor vaccination by the respiratory route, opening new perspectives for cancer treatment.

Full Text Available PURPOSE: To evaluate fundus shape in highly myopic eyes using color maps created through optical coherence tomography (OCT image analysis. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated 182 highly myopic eyes from 113 patients. After obtaining 12 lines of 9-mm radial OCT scans with the fovea at the center, the Bruch's membrane line was plotted and its curvature was measured at 1-µm intervals in each image, which was reflected as a color topography map. For the quantitative analysis of the eye shape, mean absolute curvature and variance of curvature were calculated. RESULTS: The color maps allowed staphyloma visualization as a ring of green color at the edge and as that of orange-red color at the bottom. Analyses of mean and variance of curvature revealed that eyes with myopic choroidal neovascularization tended to have relatively flat posterior poles with smooth surfaces, while eyes with chorioretinal atrophy exhibited a steep, curved shape with an undulated surface (P<0.001. Furthermore, eyes with staphylomas and those without clearly differed in terms of mean curvature and the variance of curvature: 98.4% of eyes with staphylomas had mean curvature ≥7.8×10-5 [1/µm] and variance of curvature ≥0.26×10-8 [1/µm]. CONCLUSIONS: We established a novel method to analyze posterior pole shape by using OCT images to construct curvature maps. Our quantitative analysis revealed that fundus shape is associated with myopic complications. These values were also effective in distinguishing eyes with staphylomas from those without. This tool for the quantitative evaluation of eye shape should facilitate future research of myopic complications.

these systems can improve water quality, engineers and scientists construct systems that replicate the functions of natural wetlands. Constructed wetlands are treatment systems that use natural processes

Homologous recombination is a system for repairing the broken genomes of living organisms by connecting two DNA strands at their homologous sequences. Today, homologous recombination in yeast is used for plasmid construction as a substitute for traditional methods using restriction enzymes and ligases. This method has various advantages over the traditional method, including flexibility in the position of DNA insertion and ease of manipulation. Recently, the author of this review reported the construction of plasmids by homologous recombination in the methanol-utilizing yeast Pichia pastoris, which is known to be an excellent expression host for secretory proteins and membrane proteins. The method enabled high-throughput construction of expression systems of proteins using P. pastoris; the constructed expression systems were used to investigate the expression conditions of membrane proteins and to perform X-ray crystallography of secretory proteins. This review discusses the mechanisms and applications of homologous recombination, including the production of proteins for X-ray crystallography.

The purposes of this study were to exmine the constructive factors of psychological stress response in high school students, and to compare student's stress responses who did not belong to athletic clubs with athlete's. Subjects were 945 high school students (484 males and 461 famales) in public school, they were required to estimate their recent affects, consciousness and behavior for each of 53 items. First, the stress response scale for high school students was developed. As a result of fa...

Ontologies are widely used in the biomedical domain. While many tools exist for the edition, alignment or evaluation of ontologies, few solutions have been proposed for ontology programming interface, i.e. for accessing and modifying an ontology within a programming language. Existing query languages (such as SPARQL) and APIs (such as OWLAPI) are not as easy-to-use as object programming languages are. Moreover, they provide few solutions to difficulties encountered with biomedical ontologies. Our objective was to design a tool for accessing easily the entities of an OWL ontology, with high-level constructs helping with biomedical ontologies. From our experience on medical ontologies, we identified two difficulties: (1) many entities are represented by classes (rather than individuals), but the existing tools do not permit manipulating classes as easily as individuals, (2) ontologies rely on the open-world assumption, whereas the medical reasoning must consider only evidence-based medical knowledge as true. We designed a Python module for ontology-oriented programming. It allows access to the entities of an OWL ontology as if they were objects in the programming language. We propose a simple high-level syntax for managing classes and the associated "role-filler" constraints. We also propose an algorithm for performing local closed world reasoning in simple situations. We developed Owlready, a Python module for a high-level access to OWL ontologies. The paper describes the architecture and the syntax of the module version 2. It details how we integrated the OWL ontology model with the Python object model. The paper provides examples based on Gene Ontology (GO). We also demonstrate the interest of Owlready in a use case focused on the automatic comparison of the contraindications of several drugs. This use case illustrates the use of the specific syntax proposed for manipulating classes and for performing local closed world reasoning. Owlready has been successfully

The apetalous genotype is a morphological ideotype for increasing seed yield and should be of considerable agricultural use; however, only a few studies have focused on the genetic control of this trait in Brassica napus. In the present study, a recombinant inbred line, the AH population, containing 189 individuals was derived from a cross between an apetalous line ‘APL01’ and a normally petalled variety ‘Holly’. The Brassica 60 K Infinium BeadChip Array harboring 52,157 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers was used to genotype the AH individuals. A high-density genetic linkage map was constructed based on 2,755 bins involving 11,458 SNPs and 57 simple sequence repeats, and was used to identify loci associated with petalous degree (PDgr). The linkage map covered 2,027.53 cM, with an average marker interval of 0.72 cM. The AH map had good collinearity with the B. napus reference genome, indicating its high quality and accuracy. After phenotypic analyses across five different experiments, a total of 19 identified quantitative trait loci (QTLs) distributed across chromosomes A3, A5, A6, A9 and C8 were obtained, and these QTLs were further integrated into nine consensus QTLs by a meta-analysis. Interestingly, the major QTL qPD.C8-2 was consistently detected in all five experiments, and qPD.A9-2 and qPD.C8-3 were stably expressed in four experiments. Comparative mapping between the AH map and the B. napus reference genome suggested that there were 328 genes underlying the confidence intervals of the three steady QTLs. Based on the Gene Ontology assignments of 52 genes to the regulation of floral development in published studies, 146 genes were considered as potential candidate genes for PDgr. The current study carried out a QTL analysis for PDgr using a high-density SNP map in B. napus, providing novel targets for improving seed yield. These results advanced our understanding of the genetic control of PDgr regulation in B. napus. PMID:26779193

We demonstrate the use of commercially available fused silica capillary and fittings to construct a cell for operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) for the study of heterogeneously catalyzed reactions under high pressure (up to 200 bars) and high temperature (up to 280 °C) conditions. As the first demonstration, the cell was used for CO2 hydrogenation reaction to examine the state of copper in a conventional Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 methanol synthesis catalyst. The active copper component of the catalyst was shown to remain in the metallic state under supercritical reaction conditions, at 200 bars and up to 260 °C. With the coiled heating system around the capillary, one can easily change the length of the capillary and control the amount of catalyst under investigation. With precise control of reactant(s) flow, the cell can mimic and serve as a conventional fixed-bed micro-reactor system to obtain reliable catalytic data. This high comparability of the reaction performance of the cell and laboratory reactors is crucial to gain insights into the nature of actual active sites under technologically relevant reaction conditions. The large length of the capillary can cause its bending upon heating when it is only fixed at both ends because of the thermal expansion. The degree of the bending can vary depending on the heating mode, and solutions to this problem are also presented. Furthermore, the cell is suitable for Raman studies, nowadays available at several beamlines for combined measurements. A concise study of CO2 phase behavior by Raman spectroscopy is presented to demonstrate a potential of the cell for combined XAS-Raman studies.

We demonstrate the use of commercially available fused silica capillary and fittings to construct a cell for operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) for the study of heterogeneously catalyzed reactions under high pressure (up to 200 bars) and high temperature (up to 280 °C) conditions. As the first demonstration, the cell was used for CO{sub 2} hydrogenation reaction to examine the state of copper in a conventional Cu/ZnO/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} methanol synthesis catalyst. The active copper component of the catalyst was shown to remain in the metallic state under supercritical reaction conditions, at 200 bars and up to 260 °C. With the coiled heating system around the capillary, one can easily change the length of the capillary and control the amount of catalyst under investigation. With precise control of reactant(s) flow, the cell can mimic and serve as a conventional fixed-bed micro-reactor system to obtain reliable catalytic data. This high comparability of the reaction performance of the cell and laboratory reactors is crucial to gain insights into the nature of actual active sites under technologically relevant reaction conditions. The large length of the capillary can cause its bending upon heating when it is only fixed at both ends because of the thermal expansion. The degree of the bending can vary depending on the heating mode, and solutions to this problem are also presented. Furthermore, the cell is suitable for Raman studies, nowadays available at several beamlines for combined measurements. A concise study of CO{sub 2} phase behavior by Raman spectroscopy is presented to demonstrate a potential of the cell for combined XAS-Raman studies.

The management of construction projects is a wide ranging and challenging discipline in an increasingly international industry, facing continual challenges and demands for improvements in safety, in quality and cost control, and in the avoidance of contractual disputes. Construction Management grew out of a Leonardo da Vinci project to develop a series of Common Learning Outcomes for European Managers in Construction. Financed by the European Union, the project aimed to develop a library of basic materials for developing construction management skills for use in a pan-European context. Focused exclusively on the management of the construction phase of a building project from the contractor's point of view, Construction Management covers the complete range of topics of which mastery is required by the construction management professional for the effective delivery of new construction projects. With the continued internationalisation of the construction industry, Construction Management will be required rea...

建筑行业是我国经济发展的支柱型产业，建筑行业可以带动多方面的行业进步。我国对高层建筑的质量和技术一直在进行提高和改进。高层建筑具有技术上和施工上的难度，需要逐步进行实践与理论的融合发展。%Construction industry is a pilar industry of China's economic development, and the construction industry can dr-ive many aspects of the industry progress. Quality and technol-ogy of the high-rise building in our country has been improved. High-rise buildings have technical and construction difficulty, it needs to step by step make the integration of practice and theory development.

Full Text Available Monitoring of the morphodynamic variations of the beaches associated with an estuary contiguous with Garcez Point, Bahia, Brazil, and the superposition of aerial photographs from the region, show the presence of distinctive erosive and constructive cycles of low and high frequencies. Between 1959 and 1989, one event of shoreline erosion and progradation was recognized on the oceanic beaches just outside the estuary. Inside the estuary, an erosion phase at the southern margin coincides with a constructive phase at the other side, and vice-versa. On the southern estuarine beach, low-frequency cycles of erosion and progradation are also perceived, but with the inverse trend when compared to the contiguous oceanic beach. During the beach monitoring period (February/1991 to July/1992, the oceanic beach showed retreat rates varying from 23.7m/year, at the channel entrance, to 1.0m/year, three kilometers away from it. During the same period, the estuarine beach advanced at a rate of 60.3m/year. The long-term dynamics of the shoreline position in both sides of the estuarine entrance appears to be related to the position of the channel in the ebb-tidal delta.O monitoramento das variações morfodinâmicas das praias associadas com um estuário contíguo à Ponta dos Garvez, Bahia, Brasil, e a superposição de fotos aéreas da região, mostram a presença de distintos ciclos erosivos e construtivos, de baixa e alta freqüências. Entre 1959 e 1989, um evento de erosão e progradação da linha de costa foi reconhecido nas praias oceânicas fora do estuário. Dentro do estuário, uma fase erosiva na margem sul, coincide com uma fase construtiva no outro lado, e vice-versa. Na margem estuarina sul, são também percebidos ciclos de erosão e progradação de baixa freqüência, porém com um sentido inverso quando comparados aos da praia oceânica contígua. Durante o período de monitoramento das praias (fevereiro de 1991 a julho de 1992, a praia oce

In this paper, we validate MEDIQUAL constructs through the different media users in help desk service. In previous research, only two end-users' constructs were used: assurance and responsiveness. In this paper, we extend MEDIQUAL constructs to include reliability, empathy, assurance, tangibles, and responsiveness, which are based on the SERVQUAL theory. The results suggest that: 1) five MEDIQUAL constructs are validated through the factor analysis. That is, importance of the constructs have relatively high correlations between measures of the same construct using different methods and low correlations between measures of the constructs that are expected to differ; and 2) five MEDIQUAL constructs are statistically significant on media users' satisfaction in help desk service by regression analysis.

针对我国高海拔寒区隧道建设面临低温、缺氧等恶劣环境的现状，拟对其合适的施工方法进行优化选择。首先构建隧道施工开挖的有限元计算模型，然后利用高海拔寒区某隧道的相关参数，模拟采用CD法、台阶法和环形开挖留核心土法这三种方法的施工过程，并利用有限元软件模拟得出采用不同施工方法所引起的围岩竖向位移、围岩应力、拱顶沉降和水平收敛的程度及大小。最后得出高海拔寒区隧道的最优施工方法为台阶法。%In view of the low temperature, oxygen deficit and other severe environment of the tunnel construction in the high altitude cold regions in China, the choice of suitable construction method is optimized. Firstly, build the finite element calculation model of tunnel construction. Then, use the related parameters of a tunnel in the high altitude cold regions to simulate the construction process of CD method, circular excavation for the core. Use the finite element software simulation to concluded the degree and size of vertical displacement of surrounding rock, surrounding rock stress, vault settlement and horizontal convergence which use the different construction methods. Finally it is concluded that the optimal tunnel construction method in high altitude cold regions is step method.

In recent years, with the rapid development of the economy of China, the traditional building structure has not been able to meet the current people’s demands and the super high-rise building has become a symbol of a city. In the current period, the research on the super high-rise building in the architectural industry of China is late and the technical blanks exist in some construction difficulties in the super high-rise steel structures. Based on the above, a brief analysis and discussion on the difficult construction technology in the steel structures of a super high-rise building and some measures are presented for reference of the relevant personnel in this paper.

We established a large-scale, high-throughput protocol to construct Arabidopsis thaliana suspension-cultured cell lines, each of which carries a single transgene, using Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. We took advantage of RIKEN Arabidopsis full-length (RAFL) cDNA clones and the Gateway cloning system for high-throughput preparation of binary vectors carrying individual full-length cDNA sequences. Throughout all cloning steps, multiple-well plates were used to treat 96 samples simultaneously in a high-throughput manner. The optimal conditions for Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of 96 independent binary vector constructs were established to obtain transgenic cell lines efficiently. We evaluated the protocol by generating transgenic Arabidopsis T87 cell lines carrying individual 96 metabolism-related RAFL cDNA fragments, and showed that the protocol was useful for high-throughput and large-scale production of gain-of-function lines for functional genomics.

There is mounting evidence that zero energy can, in many cases, be achieved within typical construction budgets. To ensure that the momentum behind zero energy buildings and other low-energy buildings will continue to grow, this guide assembles recommendations for replicating specific successes of early adopters who have met their energy goals while controlling costs. Contents include: discussion of recommended cost control strategies, which are grouped by project phase (acquisition and delivery, design, and construction) and accompanied by industry examples; recommendations for balancing key decision-making factors; and quick reference tables that can help teams apply strategies to specific projects.

The scientific community has recently experienced an overall effort to reduce the physical size of many experimental components to the nanometer size range. This size is unique as the characteristics of this regime involve aspects of pure physics, biology, and chemistry. One extensively studied example of a nanometer sized experimental component, which acts as a junction between these three principle scientific theologies, is deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) or ribonucleic acid (RNA). These biopolymers not only contain the biological genetic guide to code for the production of life-sustaining materials, but are also being probed by physicists as a means to create electrical circuits and furthermore as controllable architectural and sensor motifs in the chemical disciplines. Possibly the most common nano-sized component between these sciences are nanoparticles composed of a variety of materials. The cross discipline employment of nanoparticles is evident from the vast amount of literature that has been produced from each of the individual communities within the last decade. Along these cross-discipline lines, this dissertation examines the use of several different types of nanoparticles with a wide array of surface chemistries to understand their adsorption properties and to construct unique miniaturized analytical and immunoassay platforms. This introduction will act as a literature review to provide key information regarding the synthesis and surface chemistries of several types of nanoparticles. This material will set the stage for a discussion of assembling ordered arrays of nanoparticles into functional platforms, architectures, and sensors. The introduction will also include a short explanation of the atomic force microscope that is used throughout the thesis to characterize the nanoparticle-based structures. Following the Introduction, four research chapters are presented as separate manuscripts. Chapter 1 examines the self-assembly of polymeric nanoparticles

The handbook is a revision of ORNL/NSIC-65. The purposes of the handbook are to summarize available information in a manner that is useful to the designer, to point out shortcomings in design and construction practice, and to provide guides and recommendations for the design of future systems. (TFD)

A self-replicating vector was designed that enables the construction of complex libraries in the fungus Chiysosporium lucknowense. The circular vector is linearized in vivo and results in a transformation frequency up to 13,000 transformants/ug ofplasmid DNA. Upon prolonged cultivation of the transf

珊瑚礁砂在国内外作为工程材料的研究还较少。文章通过珊瑚礁砂在远海岛礁工程中的综合利用，总结了应用效果，进行了经济、环保及社会效益分析，对岛礁工程建设具有重要的借鉴与指导意义。%Since the study of coral reef sand as a construction material is rare, by means of the study of the integrated utiliza-tion of coral reef sand in some high seas construction project, we summarized the various application of coral reef sand in engi-neering, and carried the analysis on the economic, environmental and social benefits as well. It has important reference and guidance significance for islet construction.

Whereas research on usability predominantly employs universal definitions of the aspects that comprise usability, people experience their use of information systems through personal constructs. Based on 48 repertory-grid interviews, this study investigates how such personal constructs are affecte...

南通市王府大厦地上2层为梁式转换层.转换层采用碗扣式整体脚手架作为支撑体系,由于转换层主梁均为框支梁,梁截面大,配筋层数及数量多,因此钢筋绑扎采取悬空绑扎方式.转换层主梁混凝土水化热引起的温差应力不能自由释放,通过在主梁内设循环水管降温系统以降低温差,在混凝土中加设杜拉纤维以增加混凝土韧性,保质保量地完成了施工.%The second floor overground of Wangfu Building in Nantong city is a beam-type transition layer. The transition layer adopts integral scaffold with buckle bowl as the supporting system. Suspension binding method is adopted to bind the steel bars, because all crossbeams on the transition layer are frame strutbeam, which has large cross-section area, many reinforcement layers and high quantity of steel reinforcement.The temperature stress caused by the crossbeam hydration heat on the transition layer can not be released freely, so circulating water pipe is set in the crossbeam to reduce the temperature difference and Dura fiber is added in the concrete to increase the roughness of concrete. The construction is successfully completed on schedule.

Linkage maps are valuable tools in genetic and genomic studies. For sweet cherry, linkage maps have been constructed using mainly microsatellite markers (SSRs) and, recently, using single nucleotide polymorphism markers (SNPs) from a cherry 6K SNP array. Genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS), a new methodology based on high-throughput sequencing, holds great promise for identification of high number of SNPs and construction of high density linkage maps. In this study, GBS was used to identify SNPs from an intra-specific sweet cherry cross. A total of 8,476 high quality SNPs were selected for mapping. The physical position for each SNP was determined using the peach genome, Peach v1.0, as reference, and a homogeneous distribution of markers along the eight peach scaffolds was obtained. On average, 65.6% of the SNPs were present in genic regions and 49.8% were located in exonic regions. In addition to the SNPs, a group of SSRs was also used for construction of linkage maps. Parental and consensus high density maps were constructed by genotyping 166 siblings from a 'Rainier' x 'Rivedel' (Ra x Ri) cross. Using Ra x Ri population, 462, 489 and 985 markers were mapped into eight linkage groups in 'Rainier', 'Rivedel' and the Ra x Ri map, respectively, with 80% of mapped SNPs located in genic regions. Obtained maps spanned 549.5, 582.6 and 731.3 cM for 'Rainier', 'Rivedel' and consensus maps, respectively, with an average distance of 1.2 cM between adjacent markers for both 'Rainier' and 'Rivedel' maps and of 0.7 cM for Ra x Ri map. High synteny and co-linearity was observed between obtained maps and with Peach v1.0. These new high density linkage maps provide valuable information on the sweet cherry genome, and serve as the basis for identification of QTLs and genes relevant for the breeding of the species.

An electrochemical cell construction features a novel co-extruded plastic electrode in an interleaved construction with a novel integral separator-spacer. Also featured is a leak and impact resistant construction for preventing the spill of corrosive materials in the event of rupture.

and the loops connecting these. The findings offer valuable insight into the mechanism of ATD closure and family C receptor activation. Furthermore, the findings demonstrate that ATD regions other than those participating in agonist binding could be potential targets for new generations of ligands......The metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) belong to family C of the G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) superfamily. The receptors are characterized by having unusually long amino-terminal domains (ATDs), to which agonist binding has been shown to take place. Previously, we have constructed...... of a "closed" conformation, and thus stabilizing a more or less inactive "open" form of the ATD. This study presents the first metal ion site constructed in a family C GPCR. Furthermore, it is the first time a metal ion site has been created in a region outside of the seven transmembrane regions of a GPCR...

Full Text Available Hyperthermophile Pyrococcus furiosus grows optimally near 100°C and is an important resource of many industrial and molecular biological enzymes. To study the structure and function of Pyrococcus furiosus proteins at whole genome level, we constructed expression plasmids of each Pyrococcus furiosus gene using a ligase-independent cloning method, which was based on amplifying target gene and vector by PCR using phosphorothioate-modified primers and digesting PCR products by λ exonuclease. Our cloning method had a positive clone percentage of ≥ 80% in 96-well plate cloning format. Small-scale expression experiment showed that 55 out of 80 genes were efficiently expressed in Escherichia coli Strain Rosetta 2(DE3pLysS. In summary, this recombinant expression library of Pyrococcus furiosus provides a platform for functional and structural studies, as well as developing novel industrial enzymes. Our cloning scheme is adaptable to constructing recombinant expression library of other sequenced organisms.

In casting steels for offshore construction, manufacturing integral casted structures to prevent fatigue cracks in the stress raisers is superior to using welded structures. Here, mold design and casting analysis were conducted for integral casting steel. The laminar flow of molten metal was analyzed and distributions of hot spots and porosities were studied. A prototype was subsequently produced, and air vents were designed to improve the surface defects caused by the release of gas. A radio...

Accelerator physics is a branch of applied physics, which deals with design, construction and operation of particle accelerators. In today’s world, their uses cover varied fields such as study structures in chemistry and biology or to perform sensitive trace element analysis. Moreover, accelerators have become entrenched as the key tools in the study of subatomic particles. Whether the application is scientific, industrial or medical, beam diagnostics is an essential constituent of an acceler...

The Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei is the dominant crustacean species in global seafood mariculture. Understanding the genome and genetic architecture is useful for deciphering complex traits and accelerating the breeding program in shrimp. In this study, a genome survey was conducted and a high-density linkage map was constructed using a next-generation sequencing approach. The genome survey was used to identify preliminary genome characteristics and to generate a rough reference for linkage map construction. De novo SNP discovery resulted in 25,140 polymorphic markers. A total of 6,359 high-quality markers were selected for linkage map construction based on marker coverage among individuals and read depths. For the linkage map, a total of 6,146 markers spanning 4,271.43 cM were mapped to 44 sex-averaged linkage groups, with an average marker distance of 0.7 cM. An integration analysis linked 5,885 genome scaffolds and 1,504 BAC clones to the linkage map. Based on the high-density linkage map, several QTLs for body weight and body length were detected. This high-density genetic linkage map reveals basic genomic architecture and will be useful for comparative genomics research, genome assembly and genetic improvement of L. vannamei and other penaeid shrimp species.

根据上海地铁二号线东西延伸段、莘闵轻轨交通线，西安地铁等工程，探讨了城市轨道交通高架桥在选型上应考虑的因素，并结合具体工程项目，给出了选型的参考性方案。%Based on the east and west extensions section of Shanghai No.2 metro line, Xinmin light track traffic line and Xian metro etc. projects, some factors which should be considered in selection of construction type of city track traffic high bridge were discussed. Reference scheme was given on selection on construction type of high bridge in city track traffic.

以塔吊F023B作为实例，从施工工艺难度及成本方面着手，分析了四桩高承台塔吊基础与普通落地式塔基以及普通格构柱高承台塔基的区别与优势，并阐述了四桩高承台塔吊基础在深基坑施工中的应用与体会。%Taking the tower crane F023B as an example,from the construction process difficulty and cost aspects,this paper analyzed the differ-ences and advantages of ordinary floor type Taki and ordinary lattice structure column high cap,and elaborated the application and experience of four pile high cap Taki in deep foundation pit construction.

This paper is a summary study of team Postgraduate on 11th grade. The objective of this study is to develop a learning model based on problem solving which can constructhigh-order thinking on the learning mathematics in SMA/MA. The subject of dissemination consists of Students of 11th grade in SMA/MA in 3 kabupaten/kota in North Sumatera, namely:…

Phosphine-catalyzed [4+1] annulation of electron-deficient 1,3-dienes or 1,3-azadienes with maleimides has been successfully developed under very mild conditions, providing a convenient and highly efficient method for constructing 2-azaspiro[4.4]nonenes and 1,7-diazaspiro[4.4]nonenes. This reaction represents the first example of [4+1] cyclization between electron-deficient 4π-conjugated systems and non-allylic phosphorus ylides.

Genetic mapping and quantitative trait locus (QTL) detection are powerful methodologies in plant improvement and breeding. White jute (Corchorus capsularis L.) is an important industrial raw material fiber crop because of its elite characteristics. However, construction of a high-density genetic map and identification of QTLs has been limited in white jute due to a lack of sufficient molecular markers. The specific locus amplified fragment sequencing (SLAF-seq) strategy combines locus-specific amplification and high-throughput sequencing to carry out de novo single nuclear polymorphism (SNP) discovery and large-scale genotyping. In this study, SLAF-seq was employed to obtain sufficient markers to construct a high-density genetic map for white jute. Moreover, with the development of abundant markers, genetic dissection of fiber yield traits such as plant height was also possible. Here, we present QTLs associated with plant height that were identified using our newly constructed genetic linkage groups. An F8 population consisting of 100 lines was developed. In total, 69,446 high-quality SLAFs were detected of which 5,074 SLAFs were polymorphic; 913 polymorphic markers were used for the construction of a genetic map. The average coverage for each SLAF marker was 43-fold in the parents, and 9.8-fold in each F8 individual. A linkage map was constructed that contained 913 SLAFs on 11 linkage groups (LGs) covering 1621.4 cM with an average density of 1.61 cM per locus. Among the 11 LGs, LG1 was the largest with 210 markers, a length of 406.34 cM, and an average distance of 1.93 cM between adjacent markers. LG11 was the smallest with only 25 markers, a length of 29.66 cM, and an average distance of 1.19 cM between adjacent markers. 'SNP_only' markers accounted for 85.54% and were the predominant markers on the map. QTL mapping based on the F8 phenotypes detected 11 plant height QTLs including one major effect QTL across two cultivation locations, with each QTL

A prototype of a new CsI(Tl) telescope, which will be used in the reaction studies of light isotopes with energy of several hundred AMeV, has been constructed and tested at the Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The telescope has a multi-layer structure and the range information will be obtained to improve the particle identification performance. This prototype has seven layers of different thickness. A 5.0% (FWHM) energy resolution has been extracted for one of the layers in a beam test experiment. Obvious improvement for the identification of $^{14}$O and $^{15}$O isotopes was achieved by using the range information.

A prototype of a new CsI(Tl) telescope, which will be used in the reaction studies of light isotopes with energy of several hundred AMeV, was constructed and tested at the Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The telescope has a multi-layer structure, and the range information was obtained to improve the particle identification performance. This prototype has seven layers of different thickness. An energy resolution of 5.0% (FWHM) was obtained for one of the layers in a beam test experiment. Positive improvement for the identification of 14O and 15O isotopes was achieved using the range information.

Full Text Available A training process is proposed, where the constitutional deals with a training space, on the understanding that it refers to central aspects of ethical, cultural, and legal order of citizen formation, on the other hand, the educational benchmarks are enrolled in a democratic culture of respect, observance and promotion of human rights, plurality and negotiated treatment of conflicts. The initiative provides aspects relating to the management of development, the formation of educational networking, public and communication strategies for the construction of the public debate as atraining aspect, geared toward the Colombian territory.

The generation of functional biomimetic skeletal muscle constructs is still one of the fundamental challenges in skeletal muscle tissue engineering. With the notion that structure strongly dictates functional capabilities, a myriad of cell types, scaffold materials and stimulation strategies have been combined. To further optimize muscle engineered constructs, we have developed a novel bioreactor system (MagneTissue) for rapid engineering of skeletal muscle-like constructs with the aim to resemble native muscle in terms of structure, gene expression profile and maturity. Myoblasts embedded in fibrin, a natural hydrogel that serves as extracellular matrix, are subjected to mechanical stimulation via magnetic force transmission. We identify static mechanical strain as a trigger for cellular alignment concomitant with the orientation of the scaffold into highly organized fibrin fibrils. This ultimately yields myotubes with a more mature phenotype in terms of sarcomeric patterning, diameter and length. On the molecular level, a faster progression of the myogenic gene expression program is evident as myogenic determination markers MyoD and Myogenin as well as the Ca(2+) dependent contractile structural marker TnnT1 are significantly upregulated when strain is applied. The major advantage of the MagneTissue bioreactor system is that the generated tension is not exclusively relying on the strain generated by the cells themselves in response to scaffold anchoring but its ability to subject the constructs to individually adjustable strain protocols. In future work, this will allow applying mechanical stimulation with different strain regimes in the maturation process of tissue engineered constructs and elucidating the role of mechanotransduction in myogenesis. Mechanical stimulation of tissue engineered skeletal muscle constructs is a promising approach to increase tissue functionality. We have developed a novel bioreactor-based 3D culture system, giving the user the

.... "Acting as both a professional reference on current approaches in shipyard practice and a comprehensive introduction for students in any marine discipline, Ship Construction covers the complete...

Compares and reviews currently available brands of steel construction sets that are useful to physics teachers for building demonstrations, prototypes of mechanisms, robotics, and remote control devices. (ZWH)

Targeted DNA mutations generated by vectors with clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/Cas9 technology have proven useful for functional genomics studies. While most cloning strategies are simple to perform, they generally use multiple steps and can require several days to generate the ultimate constructs. The method presented here is based on DNA assembly and can produce fully functional CRISPR vectors in a single cloning reaction. Vector construction can also be pooled, further increasing the efficiency and utility of the process. A modification of the method is used to create CRISPR vectors with multiple gene targets. CRISPR vectors are then transformed into tomato hairy roots to generate transgenic materials with targeted DNA modifications. Hairy roots are a useful system for testing vector functionality as they are technically simple to generate and amenable to large-scale production. The methods presented here will have wide application as they can be used to generate a variety of CRISPR vectors and be used in a wide range of plant species.

The cultivated strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) is an octoploid (2n = 8x = 56) of the Rosaceae family whose genomic architecture is still controversial. Several recent studies support the AAA'A'BBB'B' model, but its complexity has hindered genetic and genomic analysis of this important crop. To overcome this difficulty and to assist genome-wide analysis of F. × ananassa, we constructed an integrated linkage map by organizing a total of 4474 of simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers collected from published Fragaria sequences, including 3746 SSR markers [Fragaria vesca expressed sequence tag (EST)-derived SSR markers] derived from F. vesca ESTs, 603 markers (F. × ananassa EST-derived SSR markers) from F. × ananassa ESTs, and 125 markers (F. × ananassa transcriptome-derived SSR markers) from F. × ananassa transcripts. Along with the previously published SSR markers, these markers were mapped onto five parent-specific linkage maps derived from three mapping populations, which were then assembled into an integrated linkage map. The constructed map consists of 1856 loci in 28 linkage groups (LGs) that total 2364.1 cM in length. Macrosynteny at the chromosome level was observed between the LGs of F. × ananassa and the genome of F. vesca. Variety distinction on 129 F. × ananassa lines was demonstrated using 45 selected SSR markers.

The reservoir quality of Jurassic and Triassic fluvial and lacustrine-deltaic sandstones of the Yanchang Oil Field in the Ordos Basin is strongly influenced by the burial history and facies-related diagenetic events. The fluvial sandstones have a higher average porosity (14.8%) and a higher permeability (12.7×10?3 ?m2) than those of the deltaic sandstones (9.8% and 5.8 ×10?3 ?m2, respectively). The burial compaction, which resulted in 15% and 20% porosity loss for Jurassic and Triassic sandstones, respectively, is the main factor causing the loss of porosity both for the Jurassic and Triassic sandstones. Among the cements, carbonate is the main one that reduced the reservoir quality of the sandstones. The organic acidic fluid derived from organic matter in the source rocks, the inorganic fluid from rock-water reaction during the late diagenesis, and meteoric waters during the epidiagenesis resulted in the formation of dissolution porosity, which is the main reason for the enhancement of reservoir-quality.

This article is structured as follows: What are high-temperature wools (HTW)? What are the advantages of HTW products? Conservation of the environment with the use of HTW products in industrial furnace construction (use of HTW products in heating systems, exhaust gas cleaning systems and modern industrial furnaces).

Regioselective construction of a fused 2-ylidene chromene ring was achieved for the first time by using AlCl(3)-induced C-C bond formation followed by Pd/C-Cu mediate coupling-cyclization strategy. A number of chromeno[4,3-b]quinoxaline derivatives were prepared by using this strategy. Single crystal X-ray diffraction study of a representative compound e.g. 6-(2,2-dimethylpropylidene)-4-methyl-6H-chromeno[4,3-b]quinoxalin-3-ol confirmed the presence of an exocyclic C-C double bond with Z-geometry. The crystal structure analysis and hydrogen bonding patterns of the same compound along with its structure elaboration via propargylation followed by Sonogashira coupling of the resulting terminal alkyne is presented. A probable mechanism for the formation of 2-ylidene chromene ring is discussed. Some of the compounds synthesized showed anticancer properties when tested in vitro.

Full Text Available In casting steels for offshore construction, manufacturing integral casted structures to prevent fatigue cracks in the stress raisers is superior to using welded structures. Here, mold design and casting analysis were conducted for integral casting steel. The laminar flow of molten metal was analyzed and distributions of hot spots and porosities were studied. A prototype was subsequently produced, and air vents were designed to improve the surface defects caused by the release of gas. A radiographic test revealed no internal defects inside the casted steel. Evaluating the chemical and mechanical properties of specimens sampled from the product revealed that target values were quantitatively satisfied. To assess weldability in consideration of repair welding, the product was machined with grooves and welded, after which the mechanical properties of hardness as well as tensile, impact, and bending strengths were evaluated. No substantive differences were found in the mechanical properties before and after welding.

In casting steels for offshore construction, manufacturing integral casted structures to prevent fatigue cracks in the stress raisers is superior to using welded structures. Here, mold design and casting analysis were conducted for integral casting steel. The laminar flow of molten metal was analyzed and distributions of hot spots and porosities were studied. A prototype was subsequently produced, and air vents were designed to improve the surface defects caused by the release of gas. A radiographic test revealed no internal defects inside the casted steel. Evaluating the chemical and mechanical properties of specimens sampled from the product revealed that target values were quantitatively satisfied. To assess weldability in consideration of repair welding, the product was machined with grooves and welded, after which the mechanical properties of hardness as well as tensile, impact, and bending strengths were evaluated. No substantive differences were found in the mechanical properties before and after welding.

南京造币厂行业备件中心立体仓库高跨井格梁屋盖工程,按照制订的高跨扣件式落地钢管排架满堂支撑专项施工方案施工,上部井格梁屋盖混凝土一次性浇筑完毕,排架支撑模板按规定拆除,施工中未发生安全事故,经专家组的检查和最终验收,排架整体稳定可靠,符合设计及规范要求,为今后施工同类型结构工程积累了经验.%The high span cross beam roof engineering of Stereoscopic Warehouse of Industry Spare Parts Center of Nanjing Mint Co., Ltd. Is carried out according to the special construction scheme of supporting by full-house high span fastener type ground steel pipe frame bent. One-off concrete pouring is adopted for top cross beam roof and the frame supporting formworks are dismantled in accordance with the provisions. No safety accident happened during the construction. After inspection and final acceptance by the expert group, the frame bent is stable and reliable, satisfying the design requirements and the requirements of codes. Experiences are accumulated for construction of similar structural works in the future.

本文从可持续发展视角分析了当前高中高水平运动队建设存在的几个问题,并对当前高中高水平运动队的发展与建设的可持续性进行理论分析,以期能对高中高水平运动队的发展提供一定的参考.%This paper analyzes the problems in high level sports team construction from the perspective of sustainable development, makes an theoretical analysis on the sustainable development and construction of high level sports team about high school, hoping providing reference for the development of high level sport teams.

Full Text Available Linkage maps are valuable tools in genetic and genomic studies. For sweet cherry, linkage maps have been constructed using mainly microsatellite markers (SSRs and, recently, using single nucleotide polymorphism markers (SNPs from a cherry 6K SNP array. Genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS, a new methodology based on high-throughput sequencing, holds great promise for identification of high number of SNPs and construction of high density linkage maps. In this study, GBS was used to identify SNPs from an intra-specific sweet cherry cross. A total of 8,476 high quality SNPs were selected for mapping. The physical position for each SNP was determined using the peach genome, Peach v1.0, as reference, and a homogeneous distribution of markers along the eight peach scaffolds was obtained. On average, 65.6% of the SNPs were present in genic regions and 49.8% were located in exonic regions. In addition to the SNPs, a group of SSRs was also used for construction of linkage maps. Parental and consensus high density maps were constructed by genotyping 166 siblings from a 'Rainier' x 'Rivedel' (Ra x Ri cross. Using Ra x Ri population, 462, 489 and 985 markers were mapped into eight linkage groups in 'Rainier', 'Rivedel' and the Ra x Ri map, respectively, with 80% of mapped SNPs located in genic regions. Obtained maps spanned 549.5, 582.6 and 731.3 cM for 'Rainier', 'Rivedel' and consensus maps, respectively, with an average distance of 1.2 cM between adjacent markers for both 'Rainier' and 'Rivedel' maps and of 0.7 cM for Ra x Ri map. High synteny and co-linearity was observed between obtained maps and with Peach v1.0. These new high density linkage maps provide valuable information on the sweet cherry genome, and serve as the basis for identification of QTLs and genes relevant for the breeding of the species.

针对高层建筑给排水与土建协同施工技术解决了高层建筑给排水管道安装与土建施工时碰撞的问题，寻找了一套专业间的协同施工的施工方法，做到了施工质量一次成优，提高了施工工效，节约了施工成本，在工艺新颖的基础上，还保证了施工过程绿色环保。%The coordination construction technology of water supply and drainage construction with civil construction in high⁃rise building solves the collision problem during water supply and drainage pipeline installation and civil construction in high⁃rise building. A set of cooperative construction method between each professional construction was found to ensure the best construction quality, improve construction efficiency, save construction cost. On the basis of technological innovative, the method also guaranteed the construction process of green environmental protection.

A combined strategy of in situ oxidation and assembly is developed to prepare Ag/AgCl nanospheres and nanocubes from Ag nanoparticles under room temperature. It is a new facile way to fabricate Ag/AgCl with small sizes and defined morphologies. Ag/AgCl nanospheres with an average size of 80 nm were achieved without any surfactants, while Ag/AgCl nanocubes with a mean edge length of 150 nm were obtained by introduction of N-dodecyl- N, N-dimethyl-2-ammonio-acetate. The possible formation mechanism involves the self-assembly of AgCl nanoparticles, Ostwald ripening and photoreduction of Ag+ into Ag0 by the room light. The as-prepared Ag/AgCl nanospheres and nanocubes exhibit excellent photocatalytic activity and stability toward degradation of organic pollutants under visible-light irradiation. It is demonstrated that Ag/AgCl nanocubes display enhanced photocatalytic activity in comparison with Ag/AgCl nanospheres due to the more efficient charge transfer. This work may pave an avenue to construct various functional materials via the assembly strategy using nanoparticles as versatile building blocks.

For the upgrade of the ATLAS muon spectrometer in March 2014 new muon tracking chambers (sMDT) with drift-tubes of 15 mm diameter, half of the value of the standard ATLAS Monitored Drift-Tubes (MDT) chambers, and 10~$\\mu$m positioning accuracy of the sense wires have been constructed. The new chambers are designed to be fully compatible with the present ATLAS services but, with respect to the previously installed ATLAS MDT chambers, they are assembled in a more compact geometry and they deploy two additional tube layers that provide redundant rack information. The chambers are composed of 8 layers of in total 624 aluminium drift-tubes. The assembly of a chamber is completed within a week. A semi-automatized production line is used for the assembly of the drift-tubes prior to the chamber assembly. The production procedures and the quality control tests of the single components and of the complete chambers will be discussed. The wire position in the completed chambers have been measured by using a coordinate me...

The identification of informative in silico polymorphic genomic and genic microsatellite markers by comparing the genome and transcriptome sequences of crop genotypes is a rapid, cost-effective and non-laborious approach for large-scale marker validation and genotyping applications, including construction of high-density genetic maps. We designed 1494 markers, including 1016 genomic and 478 transcript-derived microsatellite markers showing in-silico fragment length polymorphism between two parental genotypes (Cicer arietinum ICC4958 and C. reticulatum PI489777) of an inter-specific reference mapping population. High amplification efficiency (87%), experimental validation success rate (81%) and polymorphic potential (55%) of these microsatellite markers suggest their effective use in various applications of chickpea genetics and breeding. Intra-specific polymorphic potential (48%) detected by microsatellite markers in 22 desi and kabuli chickpea genotypes was lower than inter-specific polymorphic potential (59%). An advanced, high-density, integrated and inter-specific chickpea genetic map (ICC4958 x PI489777) having 1697 map positions spanning 1061.16 cM with an average inter-marker distance of 0.625 cM was constructed by assigning 634 novel informative transcript-derived and genomic microsatellite markers on eight linkage groups (LGs) of our prior documented, 1063 marker-based genetic map. The constructed genome map identified 88, including four major (7-23 cM) longest high-resolution genomic regions on LGs 3, 5 and 8, where the maximum number of novel genomic and genic microsatellite markers were specifically clustered within 1 cM genetic distance. It was for the first time in chickpea that in silico FLP analysis at genome-wide level was carried out and such a large number of microsatellite markers were identified, experimentally validated and further used in genetic mapping. To best of our knowledge, in the presently constructed genetic map, we mapped highest

Full Text Available The identification of informative in silico polymorphic genomic and genic microsatellite markers by comparing the genome and transcriptome sequences of crop genotypes is a rapid, cost-effective and non-laborious approach for large-scale marker validation and genotyping applications, including construction of high-density genetic maps. We designed 1494 markers, including 1016 genomic and 478 transcript-derived microsatellite markers showing in-silico fragment length polymorphism between two parental genotypes (Cicer arietinum ICC4958 and C. reticulatum PI489777 of an inter-specific reference mapping population. High amplification efficiency (87%, experimental validation success rate (81% and polymorphic potential (55% of these microsatellite markers suggest their effective use in various applications of chickpea genetics and breeding. Intra-specific polymorphic potential (48% detected by microsatellite markers in 22 desi and kabuli chickpea genotypes was lower than inter-specific polymorphic potential (59%. An advanced, high-density, integrated and inter-specific chickpea genetic map (ICC4958 x PI489777 having 1697 map positions spanning 1061.16 cM with an average inter-marker distance of 0.625 cM was constructed by assigning 634 novel informative transcript-derived and genomic microsatellite markers on eight linkage groups (LGs of our prior documented, 1063 marker-based genetic map. The constructed genome map identified 88, including four major (7-23 cM longest high-resolution genomic regions on LGs 3, 5 and 8, where the maximum number of novel genomic and genic microsatellite markers were specifically clustered within 1 cM genetic distance. It was for the first time in chickpea that in silico FLP analysis at genome-wide level was carried out and such a large number of microsatellite markers were identified, experimentally validated and further used in genetic mapping. To best of our knowledge, in the presently constructed genetic map, we mapped

The identification of informative in silico polymorphic genomic and genic microsatellite markers by comparing the genome and transcriptome sequences of crop genotypes is a rapid, cost-effective and non-laborious approach for large-scale marker validation and genotyping applications, including construction of high-density genetic maps. We designed 1494 markers, including 1016 genomic and 478 transcript-derived microsatellite markers showing in-silico fragment length polymorphism between two parental genotypes (Cicer arietinum ICC4958 and C. reticulatum PI489777) of an inter-specific reference mapping population. High amplification efficiency (87%), experimental validation success rate (81%) and polymorphic potential (55%) of these microsatellite markers suggest their effective use in various applications of chickpea genetics and breeding. Intra-specific polymorphic potential (48%) detected by microsatellite markers in 22 desi and kabuli chickpea genotypes was lower than inter-specific polymorphic potential (59%). An advanced, high-density, integrated and inter-specific chickpea genetic map (ICC4958 x PI489777) having 1697 map positions spanning 1061.16 cM with an average inter-marker distance of 0.625 cM was constructed by assigning 634 novel informative transcript-derived and genomic microsatellite markers on eight linkage groups (LGs) of our prior documented, 1063 marker-based genetic map. The constructed genome map identified 88, including four major (7–23 cM) longest high-resolution genomic regions on LGs 3, 5 and 8, where the maximum number of novel genomic and genic microsatellite markers were specifically clustered within 1 cM genetic distance. It was for the first time in chickpea that in silico FLP analysis at genome-wide level was carried out and such a large number of microsatellite markers were identified, experimentally validated and further used in genetic mapping. To best of our knowledge, in the presently constructed genetic map, we mapped highest

Construction of high-quality school for compulsory education lies at the very heart of the de-velopment and application of high-quality education resources,the extension of the amount and cover-age of that resources and related policies to promote their popularization and sharing.A systematic re-view and summary of relevant experiences from home and abroad are greatly needed in order to con-structhigh-quality school for compulsory education.School Improvement,the traditional way to con-structhigh-quality school for compulsory education,is defective in essence for it focuses on problem diagnosis and treatment.In contrast,with the emphasis on the discovery and exploration of advanta-ges,Appreciative Inquiry offers a new way to constructhigh-quality school for compulsory education.%建设义务教育优质学校，是落实加强优质教育资源开发与利用、扩大优质教育资源总量和覆盖面以及促进优质教育资源的普及与共享等有关政策的核心工作。建设义务教育优质学校，需要对国内外的有关经验进行系统梳理和总结。学校改进作为传统上义务教育优质学校建设的主要路径，因聚焦于问题的“诊治”而存在无法避免的内在缺陷。而欣赏型探究则致力于优势的发现和挖掘，从而为义务教育优质学校建设开辟了一条崭新的道路。

Starting from the definition of high performance team, the paper discussed the internal and external factors on how to establish the high performance team, on the basis of analyzing of the common features of high performance team.%文章从高效团队的定义入手,在高效团队的共同特征分析的基础上,从团队内、外部两方面因素对如何建立高效团队进行了探讨.

High temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTR) can produce high temperature process heat. This extends their potential range of application. In recent decades, the practice of licensing reactors of HTR technology, caused by the need of streamlining of this process, has placed the main emphasis on the adaptation of existing regulations by formulating appropriate guidelines. Currently, in-depth analyses of usefulness and shortcomings of the existing regulations are required. The article analyzes the possibility of licensing of high-temperature reactors with cogeneration based on the Polish Atomic Law and the three resolutions of the Council of Ministers.

The ATLAS detector is being constructed at the LHC, in view of a data-taking start-up in 2007. This report concentrates on the progress and the technical challenges of the detector construction, and summarizes the status of the work as of August 2004. The project is on track to allow the highly motivated ATLAS collaboration to enter into a new exploratory domain of high-energy physics in 2007.

@@ A high-temperature & superconductor (HT-SC) magnetic levitation train has its merits shared by the conventional conductor type and the lowertemperature type of the maglev trains but hasn't the latter two's demerits.

Construction aggregates, primarily stone, sand and gravel, are recovered from widespread naturally occurring mineral deposits and processed for use primarily in the construction industry. They are mined, crushed, sorted by size and sold loose or combined with portland cement or asphaltic cement to make concrete products to build roads, houses, buildings, and other structures. Much smaller quantities are used in agriculture, cement manufacture, chemical and metallurgical processes, glass production and many other products.

The ability of the construction industry to innovate in order to improve its practice has been widely debated over the years. As more and more organisations in other sectors, globally, are addressing 21st century consumer challenges: encompassing fair-trade, ethically sourced and more recycled products; and are reporting on their corporate responsibility performance (such as Marks and Spencer's Plan A, The Co-operative, The Body Shop etc), isn't it about time the construction industry followe...

Hydropower development in China is concentrated in the country＇ s western regions. Among all the rivers in China, the lower course of the Jinsha River contains the richest hydro-energy resource, and therefore, 4 mammoth hy- dropower plants are under construction on this particular section of the river at Wudongde, Baihetan, Xiluodu, and Xiangjiaba. The water-blocking structures of the hydropower facilities at Wudongde, Baihetan and Xiluodu are all arch dams of around 300 m high. In view of changes in the geological conditions at the foundation of the Xiluodu dam on the riverbed after excavation started, the designs of expanding foundation surface excavation and dovetailing the dam body and foundation rock on both upstream and downstream sides were introduced, allowing the arch dam and foundation to fit each other and improving the stress conditions of the dam body and foundation. By dividing the dam body into various concrete sections, the dynamic properties of concrete were adequately adjusted to the distribution of stress in the dam body. In addition, the use of the most optimal concrete material and mixture ratio allowed thermodynamics of concrete to satisfy the requirements of the strength, durability, temperature control and crack prevention of the concrete. Moreover, rigorous temperature control measures were introduced to prevent harmful cracking, thus enhancing the integrity of the arch dam. Furthermore, sophisticated construction machinery, scientific testing methods, and sound construction tech- niques were employed to ensure the uniformity and reliability of concrete placement. The ＂Digital Dam＂ for the Xiluodu project, which is based on the theory of total life cycle, has supplied strong support for construction process control and decision-making.

The economical indexes for suspension formwork, climbing formwork, sliding formwork, roller formwork and hanging formwork construction used in bridge piers are compared. From the construction principle, formwork cost, personnel and equipment, construction schedule, construction quality and safety, this paper describes their applicability. The analysis results show that if the bridge has oblique piers, the hydraulic climbing formwork is best; if the pier is not high and has loose schedule, the suspension formwork is suitable;and if it has tight schedule, the sliding formwork should be considered;if considering the comprehensive factors, hanging formwork and roller formwork should be applied.%对桥梁工程高墩用悬模、爬模、滑模、辊模和吊模施工技术经济指标进行比较,从各种施工技术的原理、模板系统成本、人员及机械设备、施工进度、施工质量和施工安全性等方面阐述了其适用性.分析结果表明:如果是带斜率的桥墩施工,则最好用液压爬模施工;如果桥墩不高、进度宽松时可以用悬模施工;强调进度的山区高墩,可考虑滑模施工;如果综合考虑各方因素,则可考虑吊模、辊模施工.

Full Text Available Objective: The increased risk of infection for patients caused by construction and renovation near hematology inpatient clinics is a major concern. The use of high-efficiency particulate absorption (HEPA filters can reduce the risk of infection. However, there is no standard protocol indicating the use of HEPA filters for patients with hematological malignancies, except for those who have undergone allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. This quasi-experimental study was designed to measure the efficacy of HEPA filters in preventing infections during construction. Materials and Methods: Portable HEPA filters were placed in the rooms of patients undergoing treatment for hematological malignancies because of large-scale construction taking place near the hematology clinic. The rates of infection during the 6 months before and after the installation of the portable HEPA filters were compared. A total of 413 patients were treated during this 1-year period. Results: There were no significant differences in the antifungal prophylaxis and treatment regimens between the groups. The rates of infections, clinically documented infections, and invasive fungal infections decreased in all of the patients following the installation of the HEPA filters. When analyzed separately, the rates of invasive fungal infections were similar before and after the installation of HEPA filters in patients who had no neutropenia or long neutropenia duration. HEPA filters were significantly protective against infection when installed in the rooms of patients with acute lymphocytic leukemia, patients who were undergoing consolidation treatment, and patients who were neutropenic for 1-14 days. Conclusion: Despite the advent of construction and the summer season, during which environmental Aspergillus contamination is more prevalent, no patient or patient subgroup experienced an increase in fungal infections following the installation of HEPA filters. The protective

Considering the increasing concerns for the consideration of sustainability issues in construction project delivery within the construction industry, this paper assesses the extent of sustainable construction among Malaysian large contractors, in order to ascertain the level of the industry's impacts on both the environment and the society. Sustainable construction explains the construction industry's responsibility to efficiently utilise the finite resources while also reducing construction impacts on both humans and the environment throughout the phases of construction. This study used proportionate stratified random sampling to conduct a field study with a sample of 172 contractors out of the 708 administered questionnaires. Data were collected from large contractors in the eleven states of peninsular Malaysia. Using the five-level rating scale (which include: 1= Very Low; 2= Low; 3= Moderate; 4= High; 5= Very High) to describe the level of sustainable construction of Malaysian contractors based on previous studies, statistical analysis reveals that environmental, social and economic sustainability of Malaysian large contractors are high.

In this study, a metal-metal oxide heterostructure was designed and constructed by growing cuprous oxide (Cu2O) grains on highly surface roughened caterpillar-like Au nanotubes (CLGNs) for ultrasensitive, selective and stable nonenzymatic glucose biosensors. The Cu2O grains are tightly anchored to the surface of CLGNs by the spines, resulting in a large increase in the contact area between Cu2O grains and the CLGNs, which facilitates the electron transport between metal and metal oxide and improves the sensitivity and stability of the sensors. The electron transfer coefficient (α) and electron transfer rate constant (ks) for redox reaction of Cu2O-CLGNs/GCE are found to be 0.50114 and 3.24±0.1 s(-1), respectively. The biosensor shows a linear response to glucose over a concentration range of 0.1-5mM and a high sensitivity of 1215.7 µA mM(-1) cm(-2) with a detection limit of 1.83 μM. Furthermore, the Cu2O-CLGNs biosensor exhibited strong anti-interference capability against uric acid (UA), ascorbic acid (AA), potassium chloride (KCl) and sodium ascorbate (SA), as well as a high stability and repeatability. Our current research indicates that the Cu2O-CLGNs hybrid electrode is a promising choice for constructing nonenzyme based electrochemical biosensors.

Combining with the successful application example of prestressed anchor wire in the high slope management after waste management engineering blasting in the tunnel entrance of new high-speed railway five peak temple in Hangyong,from the prestressed anchor wire drilling,anchor wire entrance,grouting,anchor pier security system,anchor wire tensioning,locking,anchor wire sealing and other construction technology,emphatically introduced the construction technology of prestressed anchor wire strengthening high slope,ensured the stability of the slope,and achieved good results.%结合预应力锚索在新建杭甬高速铁路五峰寺隧道入口处废矿治理工程爆破后遗留的高边坡治理的成功应用实例,从预应力锚索的钻孔、锚索入孔、注浆、锚墩制安、锚索张拉、锁定、封锚等施工工艺入手,重点介绍了预应力锚索加固高边坡的施工技术,保证了边坡的稳定性,取得了良好的效果。

The article looks at conceptions of science and expertise among lay proponents of the low-carbohydrate high-fat diet in Finland. The research data consist of comments on a webpage related to a debate on the health dangers of animal fats screened in Finnish national television in autumn 2010. The article shows that contrary to the prevailing image advocated by the national nutritional establishment, which is based on the deficit model of public understanding of science, the low-carbohydrate high-fat proponents are neither ignorant about scientific facts nor anti-science. Rather, they express nuanced viewpoints about the nature of science, the place of individual experience in nutritional recommendations and the reliability of experts. Inspired by discussions on the social construction of ignorance, the article argues that the low-carbohydrate high-fat proponents are engaged in what it callsthe social construction of competencewhen they present their position as grounded in science and stylize themselves as lay experts.

The construction of high-order exponentially fitted Runge-Kutta-Nyström (EFRKN) methods of explicit type for the numerical solution of oscillatory differential systems is analyzed. Based on two basic symmetric and symplectic EFRKN methods of reference we present two procedures for constructinghigh-order explicit methods. The first procedure is based on composition methods and it allows the construction of high-order explicit EFRKN methods which are symmetric and symplectic. The second procedure is based on combining different EFRKN methods in order to construct embedded pairs of explicit parallel EFRKN methods which can be implemented in variable-step codes without additional cost. The numerical experiments carried out show the qualitative behavior and the efficiency of the new EFRKN methods when they are compared with some standard methods proposed in the scientific literature for solving second-order nonstiff differential systems. Catalogue identifier: AEOO_v1_0 Program summary URL:http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/summaries/AEOO_v1_0.html Program obtainable from: CPC Program Library, Queen’s University, Belfast, N. Ireland Licensing provisions: GNU General Public License No. of lines in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 2527 No. of bytes in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 107433 Distribution format: tar.gz Programming language: Fortran 77. Computer: Standard PC. Operating system: Windows. It might work with others. Successfully tested by CPC on Linux. RAM: For the test problems used less than 1 MB. Classification: 4.3, 4.12, 16.3, 17.17. Nature of problem: Some models in astronomy and astrophysics, quantum mechanics and nuclear physics lead to second-order oscillatory differential systems. The solution of these oscillatory models requires accurate and efficient numerical methods. The codes SVI-IIEXPOreferee.for and SVI-IIvarreferee.for were developed for this purpose. Solution method: We propose high-order exponentially fitted Runge

Chestnut rose (Rosa roxburghii Tratt) is a rare fruit crop of promising economical importance in fruit and ornamental exploitation in China. Isolation of high quality RNA from chestnut rose is difficult due to its high levels of polyphenols, polysaccharides and other compounds, but a modified CTAB extraction procedure without phenol gave satisfactory results. High concentrations of PVP (2%, w/v), CTAB (2%, w/v) and beta-mercaptoethanol (4%, v/v) were used in the extraction buffer to improve RNA quality. The average yield was about 200 microg RNA g(-1) fresh leaves. The isolated RNA was of sufficient quality for construction of suppression subtraction hybridization (SSH) library, which allowed the isolation of several pathogen-induced defense genes.

河流尾闾改道后新河道的形成演化具有非线性复杂性.文中在元胞地貌演化模型框架下,提出一种改进后的多流路算法,基于简化的水流和沉积物运移规则,通过元胞间局部的相互作用,模拟河流尾闾改道后三角洲平原上的水沙运移及侵蚀/沉积过程,再现了新河道从无到有的突现特征以及微地形调整的复杂动态.对模型的敏感性分析表明,新河道的突现是三角洲河流-平原系统内在的自组织作用结果和本质特征.%Channel avulsion and evolution in deltaic plain tends to be complicated by a wide range of different types of non-linear processes. Understanding the ways in which channel development after avulsion is critical to tackling many geomorphologic and river management problerms. In the paper, a cellular framework was used to explore the dynamics of new channel development processes after avulsion in a fluvial deltaic system. An improved multi-flow routing algorithm was integrated into the framework for modeling water and sediment across the landscape. Erosion and deposition caused by flowing water follow simple rules considering the slope between neighboring cells and other variables. Specifically, the algorithm allows for lateral transfer of water and sediment at angles of up to approximately 90° to the downstream direction. Modeling results appear able to reproduce many of the larger-scale emergent and self-organizing features observed in natural environment. This study demonstrates the utility of relatively simple algorithms to simulate complex emergence features of channel processes in fluvial-deltaic system.

A newly designed dense SiOx@carbon nanotubes (CNTs) composite with a high conductivity of 3.5 S cm−1 and tap density of 1.13 g cm−3 was prepared, in which the CNTs were stripped by physical energy crushing and then coated on SiOx nanoparticles. The composite exhibits high capacities of 835 and 687 mAh g−1 at current densities of 100 and 200 mA g−1, which can be finely persevered over 100 cycles. Benefiting from this promising anode, two new full cells of SiOx@CNTs/LiMn2O4 and SiOx@CNTs/LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 with high energy densities of 2273 and 2747 Wh kganode−1 (i. e. 413 and 500 Wh kgcathode−1), respectively, were successfully assembled and can cycle more than 400 cycles. Even with further cycling at the elevated temperature of 45 °C, the cells can still deliver relatively high capacities of 568 and 465 mAh ganode−1, respectively, over 100 cycles. Such desired high-energy lithium-ion batteries with working voltages over 4.0 V can be widely developed for diverse applications (e. g. in handheld devices, electric vehicles, and hybrid electric vehicles). The easy extension of the presented synthetic strategy and the configuration of high-energy battery system would be significant in materials synthesis and energy-storage devices.

In this laboratory exercise, students develop a LabVIEW-controlled high-performance liquid chromatography system utilizing a data acquisition device, two pumps, a detector, and fraction collector. The programming experience involves a variety of methods for interface communication, including serial control, analog-to-digital conversion, and…

Stationary battery energy storage systems are widely used for uninterruptible power supply systems. Furthermore, they are able to provide grid services. This yields in rising installed power and capacity. One possibility uses high voltage batteries. This results in an improvement of the overall s...

A heart scanner that can be equipped with up to 25 high-Tc SQUID magnetometers was designed at the University of Twente. In this design the mechanical cooler interference is reduced by operating two coolers in counterphase. The magnetic cooler interference diminished by positioning the coolers and t

A heart scanner that can be equipped with up to 25 high-Tc SQUID magnetometers was designed at the University of Twente. In this design the mechanical cooler interference is reduced by operating two coolers in counterphase. The magnetic cooler interference diminished by positioning the coolers and

Stationary battery energy storage systems are widely used for uninterruptible power supply systems. Furthermore, they are able to provide grid services. This yields in rising installed power and capacity. One possibility uses high voltage batteries. This results in an improvement of the overall...

In this laboratory exercise, students develop a LabVIEW-controlled high-performance liquid chromatography system utilizing a data acquisition device, two pumps, a detector, and fraction collector. The programming experience involves a variety of methods for interface communication, including serial control, analog-to-digital conversion, and…

In this article, the authors explore variation in the meanings of racial identity for African American students in a predominantly African American urban high school. They view racial identity as both related to membership in a racial group and as fluid and reconstructed in the local school setting. They draw on both survey data and observational…

In the past few decades, high-speed railways have become an important transportation system due to their high operational speed, and globally, the networks of these railways have been extended. In addition, there is ongoing work on the construction of new high-speed railways as well as improving existing lines to achieve the same operational speed. To contribute to high-speed railway works in Turkey, this study compared two high-speed railway lines; an existing conventional line, the design of which was improved, and a new high-speed line. The design of an existing conventional railway line was improved according to optimal geometric characteristics of high-speed railways and an alternative line was simulated. These two lines were evaluated on three different types of land in terms of the required volume of earthworks, engineering structures and total cost. The results show that the length of the conventional line was reduced after the improvement process; however, new engineering structures are needed. Furthermore, compared to the alternative line, the track length and total length of engineering structures required for the improvement of the existing line was shorter and the volume of required earthworks was less resulting in lower costs.

Full Text Available Nowadays, one of the most fundamental discussions regarding the urban planners and more importantly the researchers in fields such as geography and/or environment concentration is on the survey of the existing bottlenecks in the rapid and increasing growth of the population and traffic in the urban context which has been accompanied by the increase in the construction of high buildings and the outset of tower and skyscraper building as a symbol of development in the field of modern urbanization. What is of more importance in such an exhibition of power and the stultification with glamorous embodiments of high-rise building construction is the correct selection of the locus for building a tower based on the nature and the function the building is going to be served for and the spatial features of the region of the city context. The researcher, in a field study deals with the study of the skyscrapers’ construction in the city of Hamedan aiming at the identification of the damages and harms incurred on the urban bioenvironmental aspects even in a social ecological level and comes to this conclusion that the establishment place has not been studied precisely from the spatial and locus point of view through the analysis of the textural features of the place of the establishment for Pastor Tower in Hamedan and the volume and the capacity of the streets through a quantitative and statistical analysis, and it is in such a manner that the spatial system and the regional balance and equilibrium of the city has suffered some problems in various environmental, textural, social and bioenvironmental aspects.

High manganese steel (KHMN30L) as a cryogenic nonmagnetic material has been developed by Kawasaki Steel Corporation, which is designed for structural material for superconducting magnet in particle accelerator system. This steel satisfies the following requirements for the present use. 1) Low magnetic permeability: its relative magnetic permeability is lower than 1.002 throughout the range between 1.9 K and room temperature, and shows little temperature dependency which is the result of the highly elevated Neel temperature controlled by alloying composition design. 2) Low thermal expansion: its integrated contraction from room temperature to 4.2 K is as small as 0.18%. 3) Appropriate mechanical properties: yield strength and tensile strength can be adjusted to the desirable value by the manufacturing process condition without deteriorating physical properties. With these excellent properties, this steel is being supplied for nonmagnetic lamination of the cold mass of the LHC (Large Hadron Collider) supercondu...

The combination of a cinchona-based chiral primary amine and a BINOL-phosphoric acid has been demonstrated as a powerful and synergistic catalyst system for the double Michael addition of isatylidene malononitriles with α,β-unsaturated ketones, to provide the novel chiral spiro [cyclohexane-1,3'-indoline]-2',3-diones in high yields (88-99%) with excellent diastereo- and enantioselectivities (94:6-99:1 dr's, 95-99% ee's).

Full Text Available High-density genetic maps are essential for genome assembly, comparative genomic analysis and fine mapping of complex traits. In this study, 31,191 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs evenly distributed across the large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea genome were identified using restriction-site associated DNA sequencing (RAD-seq. Among them, 10,150 high-confidence SNPs were assigned to 24 consensus linkage groups (LGs. The total length of the genetic linkage map was 5451.3 cM with an average distance of 0.54 cM between loci. This represents the densest genetic map currently reported for large yellow croaker. Using 2889 SNPs to target specific scaffolds, we assigned 533 scaffolds, comprising 421.44 Mb (62.04% of the large yellow croaker assembled sequence, to the 24 linkage groups. The mapped assembly scaffolds in large yellow croaker were used for genome synteny analyses against the stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus and medaka (Oryzias latipes. Greater synteny was observed between large yellow croaker and stickleback. This supports the hypothesis that large yellow croaker is more closely related to stickleback than to medaka. Moreover, 1274 immunity-related genes and 195 hypoxia-related genes were mapped to the 24 chromosomes of large yellow croaker. The integration of the high-resolution genetic map and the assembled sequence provides a valuable resource for fine mapping and positional cloning of quantitative trait loci associated with economically important traits in large yellow croaker.

A rationally designed support for deep roadways excavated in broken soft rock under high stress was investigated.The deformation and failure characteristics and the mechanism of “yielding support” was studied for anchor bolts and cables.The rail roadway of the 2-501 working face in the Liyazhuang Mine of the Huozhou coal area located in Shanxi province was used for field trials.The geological conditions used there were used during the design phase.The new “highly resistant,yielding” support system has a core of high strength,yielding bolts and anchor cables.The field tests show that this support system adapts well to the deformation and pressure in the deep broken soft rock.The support system effectively controls damage to the roadway and ensures the long term stability of the wall rock and safe production in the coal mine.This provides a remarkable economic and social benefit and has broad prospects for further application.

Full Text Available Abstract Background Research involving gene expression profiling and clinical applications, such as diagnostics and prognostics, often require a DNA array platform that is flexibly customisable and cost-effective, but at the same time is highly sensitive and capable of accurately and reproducibly quantifying the transcriptional expression of a vast number of genes over the whole transcriptome dynamic range using low amounts of RNA sample. Hereto, a set of easy-to-implement practical optimisations to the design of cDNA-based nylon macroarrays as well as sample 33P-labeling, hybridisation protocols and phosphor screen image processing were analysed for macroarray performance. Results The here proposed custom macroarray platform had an absolute sensitivity as low as 50,000 transcripts and a linear range of over 5 log-orders. Its quality of identifying differentially expressed genes was at least comparable to commercially available microchips. Interestingly, the quantitative accuracy was found to correlate significantly with corresponding reversed transcriptase - quantitative PCR values, the gold standard gene expression measure (Pearson's correlation test p Conclusions Results presented here, demonstrate for the first time that self-made cDNA-based nylon macroarrays can produce highly reliable gene expression data with high sensitivity and covering the entire mammalian dynamic range of mRNA abundances. Starting off from minimal amounts of unamplified total RNA per sample, a reasonable amount of samples can be assayed simultaneously for the quantitative expression of hundreds of genes in an easily customisable and cost-effective manner.

The Western International Financial Center project paid high attention to green construction. Resources like water,land,energy,materials and pollution have been effectively controlled,especially the three applied innovative technologies about waste treatment,mobile toilet,concrete pump cleaning were carried out on super high rise buildings,which achieved greater level on green construction.%西部国际金融中心项目高度重视绿色施工，对水资源、土地资源、能源、材料和环境污染等进行有效控制，尤其项目实施的超高层垃圾管道、临时厕所、混凝土洗泵管3项创新改良后的施工技术，使项目绿色施工达到更为良好的效果。

High-speed turnout of 18# is widely applied in rapid transit railways in china,such as BeiJing-Tianjin Railway,Wuhan-Guangzhou Railway and Beijing-Shanghai Railway.This paper elaborates the composition,construction technology,key points and difficulty of construction and control measure of 18# High-speed turnout based on the fabricating yard of Hangzhou-Ningbo Yuci elevated station turnout.%18号板式高速道岔在我国高速铁路中得到了广泛的应用,先后应用在京津、武广、京沪等国家主干铁路线。现结合杭甬客专余慈高架车站道岔施工,对18号板式高速道岔的组成、施工工艺、施工重点难点以及安全、质量卡控措施等方面进行阐述。

某公路在建设施工中，由于地质不良和高山峡谷的地形等原因，高边坡稳定性问题非常显著。通过对 K4＋700～K4＋985段高边坡实地调查，进行了边坡深部位移、锚索应力、表观位移3项内容的施工监测，监测分析结果为边坡动态设计和施工提供依据，保证了边坡的稳定性，具有重要的实际工程意义。%A road in the construction,because of unfavorable geology and alpine and canyon topog-raphy and other reasons,the stability of the high slope is very significant.Based on the K4 +700 ~K4 +985 section of high slope field survey,the construction monitoring of deep displacement,anchor stress,ap-parent displacement of 3 items,analysis results provide the basis for the slope dynamic design and con-struction,to ensure the stability of the slope,it has important practical engineering significance.

Full Text Available There are unprecedented difficulties in building concrete gravity dams in the high altitude province Tibet with problems induced by lack of experience and technologies and unique weather conditions, as well as the adoption of construction materials that are disadvantageous to temperature control and crack prevention. Based on the understandings of the mentioned problems and leveraging the need of building gravity dam in Tibet, 3D finite element method is used to study the temperature control and crack prevention of the dam during construction. The calculation under recommend temperature control measures and standards shows that the height and number of simultaneous cooling zone have the more obvious influencers on concrete stress; therefore, it is suggested to increase the height of simultaneous cooling zone to decrease the stress caused by temperature gradient of adjoin layers so as to raise the safety level of the whole project. The research methods and ideas used on this project have significant values and can be taken as references in similar projects in high altitude regions.

According to the characteristics of red sandstone high fill construction,this paper introduced the construction technology principle of red sandstone high fill,from the construction preparation,construction blasting,yard separation,compaction construction and other aspects, elaborated the construction operation key points of red sandstone high fill,and put forward the construction quality and safety control measures, pointed out that the red sandstone high fill construction had significant economic,social benefits.%针对红砂岩高填方施工的特点，介绍了红砂岩高填方的施工工艺原理，从施工准备、施工爆破、料场分选、压实施工等方面，阐述了红砂岩高填方的施工操作要点，并提出了施工质量及安全控制措施，指出红砂岩高填方施工具有显著的经济、社会效益。

A close-to-ideal blend of suburb and city, speedy construction of towers of Babylon, the sparkling proportion of glass and steel buildings’ facade at night showcase the wisdom of humans. They also witness the footsteps, sweats and tears of architects and engineers. Unfortunately, these signatures of human civilizations are swathed in towering figures of construction accidents. Fretting about these on sites, different countries adopt different measures on sites. This book firstly sketches the construction accidents on sites, followed by a review on safety measures in some of the developing countries such as Bermuda, Egypt, Kuwait and China; as well as developed countries, for example, the United States, France and Singapore. It also highlights the enormous compensation costs with the courts’ experiences in the United Kingdom and Hong Kong.

We report on the fabrication of 3D carbonaceous material composed of 1D carbon nanofibers (CNF) grown on 2D graphene sheets (GNS) via a CVD approach in a fluidized bed reactor. Nanographene-constructed carbon nanofibers contain many cavities, open tips, and graphene platelets with edges exposed, providing more extra space for Li(+) storage. More interestingly, nanochannels consisting of graphene platelets arrange almost perpendicularly to the fiber axis, which is favorable for lithium ion diffusion from different orientations. In addition, 3D interconnected architectures facilitate the collection and transport of electrons during the cycling process. As a result, the CNF/GNS hybrid material shows high reversible capacity (667 mAh/g), high-rate performance, and cycling stability, which is superior to those of pure graphene, natural graphite, and carbon nanotubes. The simple CVD approach offers a new pathway for large-scale production of novel hybrid carbon materials for energy storage.

Smart actuators have many potential applications in various areas, so the development of novel actuation materials, with facile fabricating methods and excellent performances, are still urgent needs. In this work, a novel electromechanical bimorph actuator constituted by a graphene layer and a PVDF layer, is fabricated through a simple yet versatile solution approach. The bimorph actuator can deflect toward the graphene side under electrical stimulus, due to the differences in coefficient of thermal expansion between the two layers and the converse piezoelectric effect and electrostrictive property of the PVDF layer. Under low voltage stimulus, the actuator (length: 20 mm, width: 3 mm) can generate large actuation motion with a maximum deflection of about 14.0 mm within 0.262 s and produce high actuation stress (more than 312.7 MPa/g). The bimorph actuator also can display reversible swing behavior with long cycle life under high frequencies. on this basis, a fish‐like robot that can swim at the speed of 5.02 mm/s is designed and demonstrated. The designed graphene‐PVDF bimorph actuator exhibits the overall novel performance compared with many other electromechanical avtuators, and may contribute to the practical actuation applications of graphene‐based materials at a macro scale.

Highlights: • Ag NPs were deposited onto the surface of bamboo timber by silver mirror reaction. • The Ag NPs made the intrinsic insulating bamboo timber have a high conductivity. • The modified surfaces displayed superhydrophobicity even for corrosive solutions. - Abstract: Silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) were successfully in situ deposited onto the surface of the bamboo timber through a simple silver mirror reaction. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images showed that the surface of the bamboo timber was densely covered with the uniform Ag NPs, which made the intrinsic insulating bamboo timber conductive. With further modification by fluoroalkylsilane (FAS), the Ag NPs-covered bamboo timber showed superhydrophobicity with the water contact angle (WCA) of 155°. Simultaneously, the modified bamboo timber displayed a durable and robust superhydrophobic property even under corrosive solutions including acidic, alkali and NaCl solutions with different molar concentrations. Especially in harsh conditions of boiling water or intense water stirring, the modified bamboo timber remained superhydrophobicity and high conductivity.

Smart actuators have many potential applications in various areas, so the development of novel actuation materials, with facile fabricating methods and excellent performances, are still urgent needs. In this work, a novel electromechanical bimorph actuator constituted by a graphene layer and a PVDF layer, is fabricated through a simple yet versatile solution approach. The bimorph actuator can deflect toward the graphene side under electrical stimulus, due to the differences in coefficient of thermal expansion between the two layers and the converse piezoelectric effect and electrostrictive property of the PVDF layer. Under low voltage stimulus, the actuator (length: 20 mm, width: 3 mm) can generate large actuation motion with a maximum deflection of about 14.0 mm within 0.262 s and produce high actuation stress (more than 312.7 MPa/g). The bimorph actuator also can display reversible swing behavior with long cycle life under high frequencies. on this basis, a fish-like robot that can swim at the speed of 5.02 mm/s is designed and demonstrated. The designed graphene-PVDF bimorph actuator exhibits the overall novel performance compared with many other electromechanical avtuators, and may contribute to the practical actuation applications of graphene-based materials at a macro scale.

We reported a chemical reaction controlled mechanochemical route to synthesize mass CuO nanosheets by manual grinding in a mortar and pestle, which does not require any solvent, complex apparatus and techniques. The activation of chemical reactions by milling reactants was thus proved, and the energy from mechanical grinding promotes the fast formation of CuO nanoribbons. The resultant materials have preferential nanoscale ribbon-like morphology that can show large capacity and high cycle performance as lithium-ion battery anodes. After 50 cycles, the discharge capacity of CuO nanoribbon electrodes is 614.0 mA h g(-1), with 93% retention of the reversible capacity. The thermodynamic reactions of the CuO battery showed size-dependent characterization. The microstructures of CuO nanosheets and reaction routes can be controlled by the ratio of NaOH/CuAc2 according to the chemical reactions involved. The intact nanoribbon structure, thin-layer, and hierarchical structures endow present CuO materials with high reversible capacity and excellent cycling performances. The simple, economical, and environmentally friendly mechanochemical route is of great interest in modern synthetic chemistry.

南昌报业大厦钢结构"帆"形的装饰造型新颖独特,主要由4根立起的圆弧钢箱柱组成,外形尺寸高125m,宽21.4m,弧长为141.75m.为减少高空作业和保证安装定位准确的要求,采用"地面分段、单片预拼装、高空总拼装"的施工方案.该方案在地面控制了横向系杆的焊接变形和单片拼装尺寸误差,单片在高空的安装稳定性好,安装定位准确度高,施工安全,工期短.%Steel structure decoration of Nanchang newspaper building is novel and distinctive with the sailshape, which composes of four arc box-section columns with height 125m, width 21.4m and arc length 141.75m.The method of segment assembly on ground, pre-assembly with single truss and integrate assembly at high altitude is adopted for accurate spatial location and reducing high altitude installation working.The method can reduce welding deformation of horizontal rods and assembly dimension errors of single truss, and assure good installation stability at high altitude, high accuracy for location, safe construction and short construction period.

We investigated the accuracy of several conventional and advanced resting ECG parameters for identifying obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) and cardiomyopathy (CM). Advanced high-fidelity 12-lead ECG tests (approx. 5-min supine) were first performed on a "training set" of 99 individuals: 33 with ischemic or dilated CM and low ejection fraction (EF less than 40%); 33 with catheterization-proven obstructive CAD but normal EF; and 33 age-/gender-matched healthy controls. Multiple conventional and advanced ECG parameters were studied for their individual and combined retrospective accuracies in detecting underlying disease, the advanced parameters falling within the following categories: 1) Signal averaged ECG, including 12-lead high frequency QRS (150-250 Hz) plus multiple filtered and unfiltered parameters from the derived Frank leads; 2) 12-lead P, QRS and T-wave morphology via singular value decomposition (SVD) plus signal averaging; 3) Multichannel (12-lead, derived Frank lead, SVD lead) beat-to-beat QT interval variability; 4) Spatial ventricular gradient (and gradient component) variability; and 5) Heart rate variability. Several multiparameter ECG SuperScores were derivable, using stepwise and then generalized additive logistic modeling, that each had 100% retrospective accuracy in detecting underlying CM or CAD. The performance of these same SuperScores was then prospectively evaluated using a test set of another 120 individuals (40 new individuals in each of the CM, CAD and control groups, respectively). All 12-lead ECG SuperScores retrospectively generated for CM continued to perform well in prospectively identifying CM (i.e., areas under the ROC curve greater than 0.95), with one such score (containing just 4 components) maintaining 100% prospective accuracy. SuperScores retrospectively generated for CAD performed somewhat less accurately, with prospective areas under the ROC curve typically in the 0.90-0.95 range. We conclude that resting 12-lead

In the field of energy management, thermoelectrics are niche candidates for electrical generator devices. For decades, scientists have been focused on thermoelectric (TE) material development. Thus TE module design techniques are still in relatively virgin state when comparing to the TE material...... development. This thesis is focused on development and optimization of thermoelectric generator (TEG) design techniques for high temperature (> 700 °C) applications. Some of the main targets of this optimization process are to achieve higher volumetric power density (VPD), and reduce the cost-per-Watt. Oxide...... of the thermoelectrically mismatched materials. U-TEG removed the weaker TE material and replaced it with a conductor. It is shown that U-TEG is a valuable concept to increase the VPD of a TE device that has mismatched TE materials. Moreover, U-TEG design is generalized using an idealized metal. Furthermore, well...

We successfully demonstrated the performance of novel, one-dimensional electrospun nanofibers as cathode, anode and separator-cum-electrolyte in full-cell Li-ion configuration. The cathode, LiMn2O4 delivered excellent cycle life over 800 cycles at current density of 150 mA g-1 with capacity retention of ~93% in half-cell assembly (Li/LiMn2O4). Under the same current rate, the anode, anatase phase TiO2, rendered ~77% initial reversible capacity after 500 cycles in half-cell configuration (Li/TiO2). Gelled electrospun PVdF-HFP exhibits liquid-like conductivity of ~3.2 mS cm-1 at ambient temperature conditions (30 °C). For the first time, a full-cell is fabricated with enitrely electrospun one-dimensional materials by adjusting the mass loading of cathode with respect to anode in the presence of gelled PVdF-HFP membrane as a separator-cum-electrolyte. Full-cell LiMn2O4|gelled PVdF-HFP|TiO2 delivered good capacity characteristics and excellent cyclability with an operating potential of ~2.2 V at a current density of 150 mA g-1. Under harsh conditions (16 C rate), the full-cell showed a very stable capacity behavior with good calendar life. This clearly showed that electrospinning is an efficient technique for producing high performance electro-active materials to fabricate a high performance Li-ion assembly for commercialization without compromising the eco-friendliness and raw material cost.We successfully demonstrated the performance of novel, one-dimensional electrospun nanofibers as cathode, anode and separator-cum-electrolyte in full-cell Li-ion configuration. The cathode, LiMn2O4 delivered excellent cycle life over 800 cycles at current density of 150 mA g-1 with capacity retention of ~93% in half-cell assembly (Li/LiMn2O4). Under the same current rate, the anode, anatase phase TiO2, rendered ~77% initial reversible capacity after 500 cycles in half-cell configuration (Li/TiO2). Gelled electrospun PVdF-HFP exhibits liquid-like conductivity of ~3.2 mS cm-1 at

This article through to the WEB access process analysis,from the increased bandwidth,reduce the HTTP request of webpage,quicken a server script calculation speed is discussed in this paper can improve the WEB access speed method,to achieve high performance WEB site.%本文通过对WEB站点的访问过程分析,从增加带宽、减少网页中HTTP请求、加快服务器脚本计算速度等方面介绍可以提高WEB站点的访问速度的方法,使其达到高性能的WEB站点。

The series of impact experiments were performed to study the properties of ejecta generated at high-velocity perforation of thin bumpers. The bumpers were aluminum plates, fiber-glass plastic plates, and meshes weaved of steel wire. The projectiles were 6.35 mm diameter aluminum spheres. The impact velocities ranged from 1.95 to 3.52 km/s. In the experiments the ejecta particles were captured with low-density foam collectors or registered with the use of aluminum foils. The processing of the experimental results allowed us to estimate the total masses, spatial and size distributions, and perforating abilities of the ejecta produced from these different bumpers. As applied to the problem of reducing the near-Earth space pollution caused by the ejecta, the results obtained argue against the use of aluminum plates as first (outer) bumper in spacecraft shield protection.

While the performance of most current commercially available PET scanners is sufficient for many standard clinical applications, some specific tasks likely require specialized imaging systems. The goal of this project is to explore the capabilities and limitations of a small, high-resolution prototype system for obtaining PET images. The scanner consists of a tandem of detectors. One is a small detector consisting of a 20 × 20 array of 0.7 × 0.7 × 3 mm(3) (pitch 0.8 mm) LYSO elements. The scintillator array is coupled to an array of silicon photomultipliers. The second detector is a 96 × 72 array of 2 × 2 × 15 mm(3) (pitch = 2.1 mm) LYSO elements coupled to PSPMTs. Separation between the two devices is 180 mm. The detectors are operated in coincidence with each other. Image reconstruction is performed using a limited angle, Maximum Likelihood Expectation Maximization (MLEM) algorithm. Evaluation of the device included measurements of spatial resolution and detection sensitivity as a function of distance. The transaxial radial and tangential spatial resolution of the system ranged from 0.6 mm to 0.9 mm FWHM; axial resolution ranged from 2.7 mm to 4.6 mm FWHM. Detection sensitivity ranged from 0.05 to 0.28%. Spatial resolution and field-of-view vary as a function of distance from the small detector. The tandem detector insert permitted differentiation of the smallest (1 mm diameter) rods in a mini-hot rod phantom. The results indicate that a tandem PET imaging scheme can be potentially employed in applications where high-resolution images over a small region are required.

An advanced multifunctional, hollow metal-organic framework (MOF) drug delivery system with a high drug loading level and targeted delivery was designed and fabricated for the first time and applied to inhibit tumour cell growth. This hollow MOF targeting drug delivery system was prepared via a simple post-synthetic surface modification procedure, starting from hollow ZIF-8 successfully obtained for the first time via a mild phase transformation under solvothermal conditions. As a result, the hollow ZIF-8 exhibits a higher loading capacity for the model anticancer drug 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). Subsequently, 5-FU-loaded ZIF-8 was encapsulated into polymer layers (FA-CHI-5-FAM) with three components: a chitosan (CHI) backbone, the imaging agent 5-carboxyfluorescein (5-FAM), and the targeting reagent folic acid (FA). Thus, an advanced drug delivery system, ZIF-8/5-FU@FA-CHI-5-FAM, was fabricated. A cell imaging assay demonstrated that ZIF-8/5-FU@FA-CHI-5-FAM could target and be taken up by MGC-803 cells. Furthermore, the as-prepared ZIF-8/5-FU@FA-CHI-5-FAM exhibited stronger cell growth inhibitory effects on MGC-803 cells because of the release of 5-FU, as confirmed by a cell viability assay. In addition, a drug release experiment in vitro indicated that ZIF-8/5-FU@FA-CHI-5-FAM exhibited high loading capacity (51%) and a sustained drug release behaviour. Therefore, ZIF-8/5-FU@FA-CHI-5-FAM could provide targeted drug transportation, imaging tracking and localized sustained release.

We report the fabrication of a tetra-amino cobalt (II) phthalocyanine (CoPc)-immobilized bacterial cellulose (BC) functional nanocomposite, CoPc@BC, by quantitative immobilization of CoPc onto a BC membrane. Lab-cultured BC was oxidized by NaIO₄ to generate aldehyde groups on BC for the subsequent CoPc immobilization, the processing conditions were optimized by monitoring both the generated aldehyde content and the resulting CoPc loading. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was employed to characterize the change of the element bonding environment during the functionalization processes. The CoPc@BC functional nanocomposite was utilized for the treatment of reactive red X-3B dye wastewater. The CoPc molecules in the CoPc@BC nanocomposite can function as an "antenna" to adsorb the target anionic dye molecules, the adsorption takes place both on the surface and in the interior of CoPc@BC. A catalytic membrane reactor (CMR) was assembled with the CoPc@BC nanocomposite, the performance of CMR was evaluated based on the catalytic oxidation behavior of reactive red X-3B, with H₂O₂ as an oxidant. Highly-reactive hydroxyl radical (OH) was involved in the catalytic oxidation process, as detected by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). Under optimal operating conditions of a flow rate of 6 mL/min, a reaction temperature of 50 °C, and an H₂O₂ concentration of 10 mmol/L, the decoloration rate of CMR was as high as 50 μmol⋅min(-1)⋅g(-1).

Background The genetics and molecular biology of sesame has only recently begun to be studied even though sesame is an important oil seed crop. A high-density genetic map for sesame has not been published yet due to a lack of sufficient molecular markers. Specific length amplified fragment sequencing (SLAF-seq) is a recently developed high-resolution strategy for large-scale de novo SNP discovery and genotyping. SLAF-seq was employed in this study to obtain sufficient markers to construct a high-density genetic map for sesame. Results In total, 28.21 Gb of data containing 201,488,285 pair-end reads was obtained after sequencing. The average coverage for each SLAF marker was 23.48-fold in the male parent, 23.38-fold in the female parent, and 14.46-fold average in each F2 individual. In total, 71,793 high-quality SLAFs were detected of which 3,673 SLAFs were polymorphic and 1,272 of the polymorphic markers met the requirements for use in the construction of a genetic map. The final map included 1,233 markers on the 15 linkage groups (LGs) and was 1,474.87 cM in length with an average distance of 1.20 cM between adjacent markers. To our knowledge, this map is the densest genetic linkage map to date for sesame. 'SNP_only’ markers accounted for 87.51% of the markers on the map. A total of 205 markers on the map showed significant (P sesame. The map was constructed using an F2 population and the SLAF-seq approach, which allowed the efficient development of a large number of polymorphic markers in a short time. Results of this study will not only provide a platform for gene/QTL fine mapping, map-based gene isolation, and molecular breeding for sesame, but will also serve as a reference for positioning sequence scaffolds on a physical map, to assist in the process of assembling the sesame genome sequence. PMID:24060091

The genetics and molecular biology of sesame has only recently begun to be studied even though sesame is an important oil seed crop. A high-density genetic map for sesame has not been published yet due to a lack of sufficient molecular markers. Specific length amplified fragment sequencing (SLAF-seq) is a recently developed high-resolution strategy for large-scale de novo SNP discovery and genotyping. SLAF-seq was employed in this study to obtain sufficient markers to construct a high-density genetic map for sesame. In total, 28.21 Gb of data containing 201,488,285 pair-end reads was obtained after sequencing. The average coverage for each SLAF marker was 23.48-fold in the male parent, 23.38-fold in the female parent, and 14.46-fold average in each F2 individual. In total, 71,793 high-quality SLAFs were detected of which 3,673 SLAFs were polymorphic and 1,272 of the polymorphic markers met the requirements for use in the construction of a genetic map. The final map included 1,233 markers on the 15 linkage groups (LGs) and was 1,474.87 cM in length with an average distance of 1.20 cM between adjacent markers. To our knowledge, this map is the densest genetic linkage map to date for sesame. 'SNP_only' markers accounted for 87.51% of the markers on the map. A total of 205 markers on the map showed significant (P sesame. The map was constructed using an F2 population and the SLAF-seq approach, which allowed the efficient development of a large number of polymorphic markers in a short time. Results of this study will not only provide a platform for gene/QTL fine mapping, map-based gene isolation, and molecular breeding for sesame, but will also serve as a reference for positioning sequence scaffolds on a physical map, to assist in the process of assembling the sesame genome sequence.

We design a system for generating newspaper layout proposals. The input to the system consists of editorial information (text, pictures, etc) and style information (non-editorial information that specifies the aesthetic appearance of a layout). We consider the automation of layout construction...

Construction work on building 179 will start on the 16th February 2004 and continue until November 2004. The road between buildings 179 and 158 will temporarily become a one way street from Route Democrite towards building 7. The parking places between buildings 179 and 7 will become obsolete. The ISOLDE collaboration would like to apologize for any inconveniences.

We design a system for generating newspaper layout proposals. The input to the system consists of editorial information (text, pictures, etc) and style information (non-editorial information that specifies the aesthetic appearance of a layout). We consider the automation of layout construction...

The study presents a building project executed by a major Danish construction company, where cooperation and its staging were essential for achieving high productivity and competitiveness. The form of this cooperation is the main theme for the article. The contractor actively changed....... The management logic of the main contractor is interpreted as based on a sociology-inspired understanding focusing on norms and social values rather than on contractual (law) and functional (engineering) logic, which had hitherto been prevalent in Danish construction management....

In constructed wetlands micropollutants can be removed from water by phytoremediation. However, micropollutant uptake and metabolism by plants here is poorly understood due to the lack of good analytical approaches. Reported herein is the first methodology developed and validated for the multi-residue determination of 81 micropollutants (pharmaceuticals, personal care products and illicit drugs) in the emergent macrophyte Phragmites australis. The method involved extraction by microwave accelerated extraction (MAE), clean-up using off-line solid phase extraction and analysis by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Development of the MAE method found the influence of studied variables on micropollutant recovery to be: extraction temperature > sample mass > solvent composition. Validation of the developed extraction protocol revealed method recoveries were in the range 80-120% for the majority of micropollutants. Method quantitation limits (MQLs) were generally <5 ng g(-1) dry weight demonstrating the sensitivity of the methodology. Application of the method to P. australis from a constructed wetland used to treat trickling filter effluent found 17 micropollutants above their MQL, up to concentrations of 200 ng g(-1). Other than uptake, the presence of several metabolites (carbamazepine 10,11 epoxide, desvenlafaxine, 2-ethylidene-1,5-dimethyl-3,3-diphenylpyrrolidine, N-desmethyltramadol and norketamine) indicated metabolism within the plant may also occur. This new analytical methodology will enable a process mass balance of the constructed wetland to be attained for the first time, and thus help understand the role of phytoremediation in micropollutant removal by such systems.

We present a mathematical model to simulate tuberculosis (TB) transmission in highly endemic regions of the Asia-Pacific, where epidemiology does not appear to be primarily driven by HIV-coinfection. The ten-compartment deterministic model captures many of the observed phenomena important to disease dynamics, including partial and temporary vaccine efficacy, declining risk of active disease following infection, the possibility of reinfection both during the infection latent period and after treatment, multidrug resistant TB (MDR-TB) and de novo resistance during treatment. We found that the model could not be calibrated to the estimated incidence rate without allowing for reinfection during latency, and that even in the presence of a moderate fitness cost and a lower value of R0, MDR-TB becomes the dominant strain at equilibrium. Of the modifiable programmatic parameters, the rate of detection and treatment commencement was the most important determinant of disease rates with each respective strain, while vaccination rates were less important. Improved treatment of drug-susceptible TB did not result in decreased rates of MDR-TB through prevention of de novo resistance, but rather resulted in a modest increase in MDR-TB through strain replacement. This was due to the considerably greater relative contribution of community transmission to MDR-TB incidence, by comparison to de novo amplification of resistance in previously susceptible strains.

The design and operation of a recirculating flow reactor designed to convert isotopically enriched silane to polycrystalline Si with high efficiency and chemical purity is described. The starting material is SiF{sub 4}, which is enriched in the desired isotope by a centrifuge method and subsequently converted to silane. In the reactor, the silane is decomposed to silicon on the surface of a graphite starter rod (3 mm diameter) heated to 700-750 C. Flow and gas composition (0.3-0.5% silane in hydrogen) are chosen to minimize the generation of particles by homogeneous nucleation of silane and to attain uniform deposition along the length of the rod. Growth rates are 5 {micro}m/min, and the conversion efficiency is greater than 95%. A typical run produces 35 gm of polycrystalline Si deposited along a 150 mm length of the rod. After removal of the starter rod, dislocation-free single crystals are formed by the floating zone method. Crystals enriched in all 3 stable isotopes of Si have been made: {sup 28}Si (99.92%), {sup 29}Si (91.37%), and {sup 30}Si (88.25%). Concentrations of electrically active impurities (P and B) are as low as mid-10{sup 13} cm{sup -3}. Concentrations of C and O lie below 10{sup 16} and 10{sup 15} cm{sup -3}, respectively.

Adaptation in sensory cortices has been seen as a mechanism allowing the creation of transient memory representations. Here we tested the adapting properties of early responses in human somatosensory areas SI and SII by analysing somatosensory-evoked potentials over the very first repetitions of a stimulus. SI and SII generators were identified by well-defined scalp potentials and source localisation from high-density 128-channel EEG. Earliest responses (~20 ms) from area 3b in the depth of the post-central gyrus did not show significant adaptation to stimuli repeated at 300 ms intervals. In contrast, responses around 45 ms from the crown of the gyrus (areas 1 and 2) rapidly lessened to a plateau and abated at the 20th stimulation, and activities from SII in the parietal operculum at ~100 ms displayed strong adaptation with a steady amplitude decrease from the first repetition. Although responses in both SI (1-2) and SII areas showed adapting properties and hence sensory memory capacities, evidence of sensory mismatch detection has been demonstrated only for responses reflecting SII activation. This may index the passage from an early form of sensory storage in SI to more operational memory codes in SII, allowing the prediction of forthcoming input and the triggering of a specific signal when such input differs from the previous sequence. This is consistent with a model whereby the length of temporal receptive windows increases with progression in the cortical hierarchy, in parallel with the complexity and abstraction of neural representations.

Lithium-sulfur batteries mostly suffer from the low utilization of sulfur, poor cycle life, and low rate performances. The prime factors that affect the performance are enormous volume change of the electrode, soluble intermediate product formation, poor electronic and ionic conductivity of S, and end discharge products (i.e., Li2S2 and Li2S). The attractive way to mitigate these challenges underlying in the fabrication of a sulfur nanocomposite electrode consisting of different nanoparticles with distinct properties of lithium storage capability, mechanical reinforcement, and ionic as well as electronic conductivity leading to a mechanically robust and mixed conductive (ionic and electronic conductive) sulfur electrode. Herein, we report a novel bottom-up approach to synthesize a unique freestanding, flexible cathode scaffold made of porous reduced graphene oxide, nanosized sulfur, and Mn3O4 nanoparticles, and all are three-dimensionally interconnected to each other by hybrid polyaniline/sodium alginate (PANI-SA) matrix to serve individual purposes. A capacity of 1098 mAh g(-1) is achieved against lithium after 200 cycles at a current rate of 2 A g(-1) with 97.6% of initial capacity at a same current rate, suggesting the extreme stability and cycling performance of such electrode. Interestingly, with the higher current density of 5 A g(-1), the composite electrode exhibited an initial capacity of 1015 mA h g(-1) and retained 71% of the original capacity after 500 cycles. The in situ Raman study confirms the polysulfide absorption capability of Mn3O4. This work provides a new strategy to design a mechanically robust, mixed conductive nanocomposite electrode for high-performance lithium-sulfur batteries and a strategy that can be used to develop flexible large power storage devices.

Gene synthesis is frequently used in modern molecular biology research either to create novel genes or to obtain natural genes when the synthesis approach is more flexible and reliable than cloning. DNA chemical synthesis has limits on both its length and yield, thus full-length genes have to be hierarchically constructed from synthesized DNA fragments. Gibson Assembly and its derivatives are the simplest methods to assemble multiple double-stranded DNA fragments. Currently, up to 12 dsDNA fragments can be assembled at once with Gibson Assembly according to its vendor. In practice, the number of dsDNA fragments that can be assembled in a single reaction are much lower. We have developed a rational design method for gene construction that allows high-number dsDNA fragments to be assembled into full-length genes in a single reaction. Using this new design method and a modified version of the Gibson Assembly protocol, we have assembled 3 different genes from up to 45 dsDNA fragments at once. Our design method uses the thermodynamic analysis software Picky that identifies all unique junctions in a gene where consecutive DNA fragments are specifically made to connect to each other. Our novel method is generally applicable to most gene sequences, and can improve both the efficiency and cost of gene assembly.

Objective To construct a dual-computer cluster system with high reliability and efifciency to ensure the security of hospital information system.Methods The system was constructed with MC/Service Guard cluster infrastructure and HP Unix operating system according to the server items of the new databases in the hospital.Results The stable and smooth operation of hospital businesses has been ensured with the application of the system which runs well in the hospital.Conclusion The security and disaster tolerance have been improved with the application of the system.%目的：建立高可靠性和高效的双机集群系统，保障医院信息系统（HIS）的安全。方法根据医院新数据库服务器项目，基于HP Unix操作系统、MC/ServiceGuard集群基础架构构建双机集群系统。结果双机集群系统可提高HIS的安全性和抗灾能力，确保了医院业务的平稳流畅运行。结论使用ServiceGuard软件构建双机集群系统的方法易操作，值得推广。